Tallinn Trip – Estonian History Museum (Punishment Twigs)

I accept that “punishment twigs” sounds almost whimsical, like something out of a fairy tale where misbehaving children are playfully swatted with willow branches, but the reality was far from a fairy tale. The Russian authorities didn’t like the 1905 uprisings against them and although initially political parties were allowed, the Tsar soon ordered newspapers to be closed down, meetings prohibited and revenge punishments were meted out to those responsible. The introduction of martial law meant that the court process was suspended and that the word of a local landowner or vicar was enough to impose a punishment. Those accused on taking part in the uprisings were sentenced to 500 lashes of twigs which had been soaked in salt-water barrels, a punishment designed to maximise pain and almost literally add insult to injury.

The twigs on display at the museum were used to punish wrong-doers in front of the Kohila Parish House. Kohila is in northern Estonia and in the uprising in the town, the manor house was badly damaged in the disputes. Fourteen of the rioters were sentenced to death by Russian troops and the Lord of the Manor was so shaken by the whole thing that he sold the site to a paper pulp factory. But whatever freedoms the Russians tried to limit, the resilience of the Estonian people fought them off and there’s a lesson for history….