Breaking on the wheel, a brutal method of execution, was widely used in Europe and its colonies during the 18th century. In this gruesome practice, the victim was tied to a large wheel, and their bones were methodically broken with an iron rod. The shattered body was then woven through the spokes of the wheel, and the condemned person was left to die slowly from shock or exposure. In 1736, on the Caribbean island of Antigua, this fate befell an enslaved African known as Prince Klaas, or Kwaku Takyi, for planning to incite a rebellion on the island.
Born Kwaku Takyi, Prince Klaas was originally from the Ashanti Empire, located in present-day Ghana. The Ashanti were a powerful and highly organized society known for their military prowess and rich culture. Kwaku was captured during the Eguafo Civil War, which erupted following the death of King Takyi Kuma. The conflict created opportunities for European slave traders, who seized thousands of prisoners of war and sold them into slavery across the Atlantic. At the tender age of 10, Kwaku was one of those taken, torn from his homeland and thrust into the brutal life of enslavement.
Arriving in Antigua, Kwaku was renamed “Court” and placed under the ownership of Thomas Kerby, a wealthy plantation owner and influential member of the colonial government. Despite his status as a slave, Kwaku, now known as Prince Klaas, retained his cultural identity and leadership qualities, eventually becoming the “chief slave” on the plantation, a position that allowed him some influence among the enslaved population.
Sugar Plantations and the Slave Population
By the time of Klaas’ revolt in the 1730s, sugar plantations were the backbone of Antigua’s economy. The island’s sugar industry had exploded in the late 17th century after the arrival of Christopher Codrington, who introduced large-scale sugar production at his Betty’s Hope plantation. With the advent of sugar cultivation, Antigua’s enslaved African population swelled as European settlers imported increasing numbers of Africans to work the grueling and dangerous sugar cane fields.
The lives of enslaved Africans on these sugar plantations were harsh and unforgiving. Sugar cane cultivation required intense labor, with long hours spent under the blazing sun, often resulting in exhaustion, injury, and death. The mills and boiling houses, where the harvested sugar cane was processed, were some of the most dangerous places for slaves to work. There was always the risk of limbs being crushed by the heavy machinery or being burned in the boiling sugar vats.
By the early 18th century, the enslaved population on Antigua had grown substantially, in stark contrast to the white population. This overwhelming Black majority lived in overcrowded, squalid conditions and faced brutal treatment from their white overseers, who could kill them with impunity.
The Vision for an African-ruled Antigua
By the early 1730s, Klaas had grown weary with the harsh realities of slavery and the oppressive colonial system. He began to conceive a daring plan to liberate Antigua and establish it as an African-led state.
The plan was both bold and thorough. Klaas and his co-conspirators spent nearly eight years preparing for the uprising, which was set to coincide with a grand ball in honor of King George II in October 1736. The enslaved Africans planned to smuggle a 10-gallon barrel of gunpowder into the venue and detonate it, killing the European elites gathered there. The explosion was to serve as a signal for a broader revolt, with armed slaves attacking and massacring the white population across the island. Klaas envisioned a new African kingdom rising from the ashes, with himself as its ruler.
The Betrayal and Suppression of the Uprising
Despite the careful planning, the conspiracy was betrayed. An unnamed enslaved informant revealed the plot to the colonial authorities, leading to the swift arrest of Klaas and over a hundred others involved in the scheme. The colonial government responded with brutal efficiency to suppress any further thoughts of rebellion.
Prince Klaas, along with 132 conspirators, was subjected to a series of harsh trials. The verdict was severe: 88 of the accused were sentenced to death. The executions were carried out in the most horrifying manners imaginable. While six were gibbeted, their bodies left to rot in cages as a deterrent, others were burned alive at the stake. Klaas himself was sentenced to the most gruesome fate of all – breaking on the wheel.
The Execution of Prince Klaas
On the day of his execution, Klaas was bound to the wheel, and his body was slowly and carefully broken with an iron rod. His broken limbs were then woven through the spokes of the wheel, where he was left to die. The execution was carried out in public, intended as a spectacle to instill fear among the enslaved population.
Prince Klaas’s story did not end with his death. His bold vision and sacrifice have been remembered as a symbol of resistance against oppression. In 1998, Prince Klaas was posthumously awarded the Most Exalted Order of the National Hero of Antigua and Barbuda, recognizing his efforts to challenge the colonial system and fight for the freedom of his people.
I get so very angry of what my Brother and Sisters had to go through.
If these black people were truely the people of God. We must have done something wrong to go through all this pain and cruelty for centuries. It is most humbling of stories. But I am a very proud black man.