That Ferdinand Made a Museum of His Enemies’ Mummies Was Definitely a Jerk Move
Ferdinand I of Naples did not want to simply kill his enemies. A jerk to his foes even after their demise, Ferdinand wanted to turn their fates into cautionary lessons to deter others from even thinking about betrayal. After he had them murdered, Ferdinand ordered that his enemies’ bodies be mummified. He then put them on display in an exhibit hall in the Castel Nouvo, which he referred to as his “Black Museum”. It came to be commonly known as the “Museum of Mummies”.
As a contemporary historian described the exhibit: “these dried cadavers were displayed, pickled with herbs, a frightful sight, in the dress they wore when alive and with the same ornaments, so that by this terrible example of tyranny, those who did not wish to be similarly served might be properly afraid“. To keep things interesting, the king’s mummified enemies were sometimes propped up in mock banquets. Ferdinand liked to conduct personal tours of his macabre museum, which often served as an effective deterrent to those contemplating treason.
