10 Horrific Punishments From History That Could Be In Game Of Thrones

2. Pulled Apart By Wild Horses, For The Crime Of Being A Woman - Brunhilda Of Austrasia

Brunhilda was a royal Visigoth woman who lived between the 7th and 8th centuries. In her long life, she ruled the eastern kingdoms of Austrasia and Burgundy on behalf of her sons and grandsons until they came of age. Despite being responsible for buildings churches, constructing fortresses, rebuilding Roman roads, reconstructing the army and reorganising the royal finances, she had many enemies. No doubt this was partly to do with the fact that she was a woman with power. The jealousy of Brunhilda's enemies culminated in King Clotaire of the Franks accusing her of killing ten Frankish kings. Clotaire decided that the most fitting punishment for Brunhilda, who by this point was 70 years old, would be to tie her to wild horses, who literally ripped her limb from limb.