Forced suicide is a method of execution where the victim is coerced into committing suicide to avoid facing an alternative option they perceive as much worse, such as suffering torture or having friends or family members imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Another common form historically has been deliberately providing a condemned individual with a weapon and a brief period in which to commit honourable suicide if he or she chooses before being executed.
Forced suicide was a common means of execution in ancient Greece and Rome. As a mark of respect it was generally reserved for aristocrats sentenced to death; the victims would either drink hemlock or fall on their swords. Economic motivations prompted some suicides in ancient Rome. A person who was condemned to death would forfeit property to the government. People could evade that provision and let the property pass to their heirs by committing suicide prior to arrest.
The most well-known forced suicide is that of the philosopher Socrates, who drank hemlock after his trial for allegedly corrupting the youth of Athens. The Stoic philosopher Seneca also killed himself in response to an order by his pupil, the Roman EmperorNero, who himself was forced to commit suicide at a later date. Other famous forced suicides include those of Brutus, Mark Antony, Emperor Otho, and the Roman General Corbulo.
The Hindu practice of sati, in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre,[1][2][3] is not generally considered a type of honor killing.[4][5] However, the extent up to which Sati was a purely voluntary act or one that was coerced is actively debated. There have been some incidents in recent times, such as the Roop Kanwar case, in which forced sati was suspected.[6] Additional cases are under investigation,[7] though no evidence of forced suicide has yet been found.[8][9][10]
Japanese seppuku falls into this category. The culture practiced by the samurai expected them to ritually kill themselves if found disloyal, sparing a daimyō or shōgun the indignity of executing a follower. This was especially the case in the Edo period,[citation needed] and Asano Naganori was a clear example.
Sati Sati or suttee[note 1] is an obsolete funeral custom where a widow immolates herself (Anumarana) on her husband’s pyre or takes her own life in another fashion shortly after her husband’s death
Accounts describe numerous variants in the sati ritual. The majority of accounts describe the woman seated or lying down on the funeral pyre beside her dead husband. Many other accounts describe women walking or jumping into the flames after the fire had been lit,[155] and some describe women seating themselves on the funeral pyre and then lighting it themselves. [159] A few European accounts provide rare descriptions of Indian sati that included the burial of the widow with her dead husband.[1]Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a 17th-century world traveller and trader of gems, wrote that women were buried with their dead husbands along the Coast of Coromandel while people danced during the cremation rites.
[SIZE=6]At Its Peak, Several Thousand Widows a Year Burned Themselves to Death[/SIZE] https://imgix.ranker.com/user_node_img/50059/1001160284/original/it_s-not-unique-to-hinduism-photo-u2?w=300&q=60&fm=jpgPhoto: Public domain
Sati has long been associated with India, primarily on the basis that it was the last place commonly or visibly practiced. But India was hardly the first or only culture to engage in this sort of ritual. You can find instances of widow sacrifice all the way from Korea through Norse Viking country, down to Mesoamerican Aztecs and Incans. Some say it’s still practiced quietly in China and Vietnam — though in truth, you won’t find many corners of the world where widow suicide doesn’t happen on a somewhat regular basis.
Still, not quite as regular as public burnings were in India at one point. It’s estimated that at the peak of sati’s popularity in the 15th-18th centuries, several thousand widows a year burned themselves on their husbands funeral pyres.
[SIZE=6]Some Women Intentionally Poisoned or Otherwise Knocked Themselves out Beforehand[/SIZE] https://imgix.ranker.com/user_node_img/50059/1001160286/original/methods-of-death-photo-u2?w=300&q=60&fm=jpgPhoto: Public domain
The iconic image of sati is that of a woman climbing onto her husband’s funeral pyre or being set afire with it. Certainly, this did happen, at least as recently as the 18th century. However, a woman could also choose a less painful method, and be placed on the pyre or buried with her husband afterward. Poison or drug overdose was often the first choice, though in some cases they would administer just enough to make the woman comatose. She would be “burned alive,” but not while awake. Other times, she might opt for a snakebite or a blade to the wrists or throat before burning.