True crime · 07.05.1535
A nobleman beheaded between the Harju gates
On 7 May 1535 Johann von Uexküll, lord of Riisipere manor, was executed by the sword in Tallinn. He had tortured to death one of his peasants, Madis of Suurepere, who had fled to the town. By town law, anyone who had lived in Tallinn for a year and a day was under its protection. Uexküll confessed and offered a village and a yearly gift of rye to the town's almshouses, and 1,000 marks to the town, to escape death. The council refused: the rich should be judged like the poor. Noblemen gathered outside the gate to free him on the way to the execution place, so he was beheaded between the Harju gates. The 1972 film Verekivi retells the story.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
7. mail 1535 hukati Tallinnas mõõgaga Riisipere mõisnik Johann von Uexküll. Ta oli surnuks piinanud oma talupoja Suurepere Madise, kes oli linna põgenenud. Linnaõiguse järgi oli aasta ja päeva Tallinnas elanud inimene linna kaitse all. Uexküll tunnistas oma teo üles ja pakkus surmast pääsemiseks seekidele küla ja iga-aastast rukkiandamit ning linnale 1000 marka. Raad keeldus: rikkaga sündigu samuti nagu vaesega. Kui teda hukkamispaika viidi, oli linnavärava taha kogunenud hulk aadlikke, kes tahtsid teda vabastada. Seepärast raiuti tal pea maha Harju väravate vahel. Lugu jutustab ümber 1972. aasta mängufilm „Verekivi“.
Source: Estonian Wikipedia: Johann von Uexküll, quoting the Tallinn council's record of 1535. ↗