In the 1300s, quartering by horses became a notorious method of execution in Europe, where the condemned were tied to horses and pulled apart. This brutal practice was often employed after other forms of torture, serving as a grim warning against dissent. The use of such extreme measures reflected the harsh realities of justice and power dynamics in medieval Europe.

The gruesome practice of quartering by horses in European executions became a dramatic subject in epic poetry. Poets like Dante and Chaucer used this imagery to explore themes of treason and societal rupture, reflecting on moral and ethical dilemmas within the context of justice and punishment.