Projecting political authority without a mandate from, or the consent of, a large part of the populace is a timeless recipe for violent state confrontation. It’s practically inherent in the system.

(This sort of unaccountable power also tends to help clear away red tape that might otherwise get in the way of killing inconvenient folks.)

From ancient Rome to revolutionary France to what’s hot off the presses,

For the next few days, we’ll focus on very different executions under authoritarian states of recent vintage, putting people to death who disputed the executioner’s very legitimacy.

• Oct. 18, 1985: Benjamin Moloise (South Africa)
• Oct. 19, 1973: 14 during the Caravan of Death (Chile)
• Oct. 20, 2009: Four rioters (Tibet)
• Oct. 21, 1803: Thomas Russell (Ireland)
• Oct. 22, 1941: 48 hostages (France)
• Oct. 23, 2003: Two collaborators (Palestine)

On this day..

• Feast Day of Saint Justus
• 1769: Six at Tyburn, "most of them, sir, have never thought at all"
• 2016: Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kadir
• 1942: The Jews of Trunovskoye
• 1769: Six felons at Tyburn, keeping away thoughts of death
• 1862: Ten Confederate hostages in the Palmyra Massacre
• 1943: Antoni Areny, the last executed in Andorra
• 1940: Hans Vollenweider, the last guillotined in Switzerland
• 1749: Bosavern Penlez, whorehouse expropriator
• 1985: Benjamin Moloise, revolutionary poet
• 1470: John Tiptoft, Butcher of England
• 1672: Thomas Rood, the only incest execution in America
• 31: Sejanus, captain of the Praetorian Guard