Being drawn and quartered, or more accurately "hung, drawn and quartered", was a particular method of execution in Medieval England that was reserved for those guilty of 'high treason' (of plotting against the King). It was meant to be as long, drawn-out, and painful a method of death as possible. Victims were first driven to the place of execution, tied to a piece of wood and dragged by a horse. They would then be hung by the neck until they were nearly dead by suffocation, only to be saved at the last moment. They would then often be castrated, though not in all cases. After that, their stomach would be cut open so the bowels were visible, but again without killing the victim. If the king felt particularly merciful, they would then be beheaded; but if not, they'd have their bodies cut or torn into four parts. The different parts of their bodies would often be sent to different areas of the kingdom, to show the people what fate befalls traitors. The first case of this full punishment was done by King Edward Longshanks (you may remember him as the bad-ass old English king from "Braveheart"). He was not a man to be trifled with, so the Welsh Prince Dafydd ap Gruffydd made a big mistake by trying to raise up a rebellion against the crown. Longshanks brutally crushed his rebellion, and made him suffer being hung, drawn and quartered. His intestines were burned up (keep in mind that such desecration of the body was particularly grievous in the medieval Christian world), his body parts sent to the four corners of the kingdom, and his head put on a pike at the Tower of London.