The worst executions in world history. The most brutal executions in the world

As early as the 19th and early 20th centuries, execution was considered a preferred punishment over prison, because imprisonment turned out to be a slow mortification. The stay in prison was paid by the relatives, and they themselves often asked that the culprit be killed.
Convicts were not kept in prisons - it was too expensive. If the relatives had money, then they could take their loved one for maintenance (usually he was sitting in an earthen hole). But a tiny part of society was able to afford it.
Therefore, the main method of punishment for minor crimes (theft, insults to an official, etc.) were stocks. The most common type of shoe is kanga (or chia). It was used very widely, since it did not require the state to build a prison, and also prevented escape.
Sometimes, in order to further reduce the cost of punishment, several prisoners were shackled into this neck block. But even in this case, relatives or compassionate people had to feed the criminal.

Each judge considered it his duty to invent his own reprisals against criminals and prisoners. The most common were: sawing off the foot (first they sawed off one foot, the second time the recidivist caught another), removal knee caps, cutting off the nose, cutting off the ears, branding.
In an effort to make the punishment heavier, the judges invented an execution that was called "to carry out five types of punishments." The offender was to be branded, cut off his hands or feet, beaten to death with sticks, and put his head on the market for all to see.

In the tradition of China, decapitation was considered a more severe form of execution than strangulation, despite the fact that suffocation is characterized by prolonged torment.
The Chinese believed that a person's body is a gift from his parents, and therefore it is extremely disrespectful to return a dismembered body to oblivion. Therefore, at the request of relatives, and more often for a bribe, other types of executions were used.

Strangulation. The criminal was tied to a pole, a rope was wrapped around his neck, the ends of which were in the hands of the executioners. They slowly twist the rope with special sticks, gradually crushing the convict.
The strangulation could last for a very long time, since the executioners at times loosened the rope and let the almost strangled victim take a few convulsive breaths, and then tighten the noose again.

"Cage" or "standing blocks" (Li-jia) - the device for this execution is a neck block, which was fixed on top of bamboo or wooden poles rallied into a cage, at a height of about 2 meters. The convict was placed in a cage, and bricks or tiles were placed under his feet, so that they were then slowly removed.
The executioner removed the bricks, and the man hung with his neck clamped with a block that began to choke him, this could go on for months until all the stands were removed.

Lin Chi - "death from a thousand cuts" or "sea pike bites" - the most terrible execution by cutting off small pieces from the victim's body for a long period of time.
Such an execution followed high treason and parricide. Lin-chi for the purpose of intimidation was performed in public places with a large crowd of onlookers.

For crimes punishable by the death penalty and other serious offenses, there were 6 classes of punishment. The first was called ling-chi. This punishment was applied to traitors, parricides, murderers of brothers, husbands, uncles and mentors.
The offender was tied to a cross and cut into either 120, or 72, or 36, or 24 pieces. In the presence of extenuating circumstances, his body, as a sign of imperial favor, was cut into only 8 pieces.
The criminal was cut into 24 pieces as follows: 1 and 2 blows cut off the eyebrows; 3 and 4 - shoulders; 5 and 6 - breasts; 7 and 8 - the muscles of the arms between the hand and the elbow; 9 and 10 - the muscles of the arms between the elbow and shoulder; 11 and 12 - flesh from the thighs; 13 and 14 - calves of the legs; 15 - pierced the heart with a blow; 16 - cut off the head; 17 and 18 - hands; 19 and 20 - the rest of the hands; 21 and 22 - feet; 23 and 24 - legs. They cut into 8 pieces as follows: 1 and 2 blows cut off the eyebrows; 3 and 4 - shoulders; 5 and 6 - mammary glands; 7 - pierced the heart with a blow; 8 - cut off the head.

But there was a way to avoid these monstrous types of execution - for a large bribe. For a very large bribe, the jailer could give a criminal awaiting death in an earthen hole a knife or even poison. But it is clear that few could afford such expenses.

Throughout history, various forms of torture have been used against women in order to control their behavior. As you read it, you will feel a shiver down your spine. Women were tortured to suppress their sexuality, silence them, or conform to beauty standards. First of all, it was aimed at breaking the spirit of women and making them obedient to men who were afraid of the destruction of their fragile worldview. Feminists would hate it. Most of these methods of torture were abolished centuries ago, however some of these barbaric punishments are still practiced today.

1. Spanish donkey

The Spanish donkey, also known as the wooden horse, slowly slashed the woman through her genitals. It was used during the Middle Ages, during the Spanish Inquisition. A similar device was used by the Confederates during Civil War... The device was a board, the upper edge of which was sharpened wedge-shaped. The board, which was sometimes covered with thorns, was supported by two or four legs. The woman was seated astride this board, which slowly cut through her body, starting at the crotch. Sometimes weights were tied to the woman's legs so that the wedge-shaped edge penetrated even deeper and cut the internal organs.

2. Female circumcision injured little girls

Female circumcision is recognized as one of the barbaric methods of torture. According to The World Organization health care, more than 200 million girls and women living today have gone through this procedure. Unlike male circumcision, there is no health benefit from female circumcision. Its sole purpose is to reduce a woman's sexual pleasure. In most cases, the procedure was performed with unsanitary instruments in dirty conditions. A young girl under the age of 15 was held by female family members. One of them took a jagged object and removed the clitoris and sometimes the labia. In many cases, infection occurred, which often led to death.

3. Chest vise

This particularly vile instrument of torture, also known as the Iron Spider, was used against women accused of adultery and single mothers. It was an instrument with two large pointed prongs that was placed in a woman's breast and then the flesh was ripped out. When red-hot, it was used to make a special mark on a woman's chest. This tool was no longer used in the Middle Ages.

4. Masks of shame

In the Middle Ages, the most in a simple way silencing a woman who is always nagging and nagging was the so-called mask of shame. Also, this instrument of torture was used against a woman who was gossiping. At that time, gossip was feared as an invention of the devil. The first recorded evidence of the use of a mask of shame dates back to the 16th century. Sometimes thorns were also attached to the woman's mouth above the tongue, which caused great pain to the woman when she tried to say something. However, the torture of the mask of shame was primarily psychological - the woman was publicly humiliated when she was exposed on the street in this form, and those around her cursed and spat on her.

5. Sawing a woman in half was pretty common.

The woman was hung upside down and literally sawed in half, starting at the genitals. Unlike the movies, there was no way to break out of this nightmare. This torture method was used in the Middle Ages as the way to inflict the most pain, with the least amount of effort. All that was needed was a saw, two people with no compassion, and a very strong stomach. This torture was applied to women who were accused of witchcraft, adultery, or blasphemy. As a rule, during the torture, the woman was still alive and conscious. Sometimes the process lasted several hours before the executioners ended up cutting the entire body in half. Or they stopped at the belly to prolong the painful death.

6. The pear of suffering was applied to women accused of abortion

The name of this inquisitive device speaks for itself. The Pear of Suffering, so named for its resemblance to the aforementioned fruit, was a terrible torture method that was used in the Middle Ages and in the 17th century. The metal tool was divided into 4 segments in the form of petals, which opened when the lever on the opposite side was turned. The main victims of this device were women accused of witchcraft and abortion. The pear was inserted into the vagina and gradually opened, tearing the woman's reproductive organs and causing incredible suffering. The tool has also been applied to suspected homosexuals. It was also used against people accused of spreading heresy. It expanded until the victim's jawbones broke.

7. Throwing is still practiced today.

Stoning, or lapidation, is one of the most ancient and primitive methods of torture. Its essence lies in the fact that stones are thrown at a person's head. Although men are also stoned to death, women represent the vast majority of the victims of this brutal public execution in modern world... The most common victims of this type of execution are women accused of adultery. And sometimes even members of the victim's family act as executioners. Today, 15 countries still practice stoning as a punishment, including Nigeria, Sudan, Iran and Pakistan.

8. Sexual torture and violence was used around the world

Rape has been used as a means of torture throughout history. For example, during the Nanjing Massacre, Japanese soldiers raped and killed thousands of Chinese women. Rape is also used as a method to extract confessions from prisoners. Amnestey International has found that rape is “commonly” used to force women to confess to crimes in Mexican prisons. Rape is probably the oldest and most enduring method of torturing women that exists.

9. Burning at the stake

Burning at the stake was the classic form death penalty intended for women suspected of witchcraft, treason and heresy. (Men accused of heresy or treason were usually executed by hanging or quartering.) Burning women was usually popular in England in the 15th-18th centuries, but contrary to popular belief, it was not used during the Salem witch hunt. If a victim sentenced to death by incineration was not lucky enough to pass out from inhaled smoke, she would die. painful death feeling their skin burn and tear. Relief came only when the nerves in the skin were too damaged for the victim to feel no more pain.

10. Corsets deformed women's bodies

The corset has existed for about 500 years. And after all the horrors described above, it does not seem like something scary. Many modern feminists claim that the corset was a device used to subdue women and was used to meet unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standards. The first mention of corsets dates back to 1530. However, corsets began to be popularized in the 18th century, and were used as in their modern version, as underwear... Corsets restrict breathing and prolonged wearing of a corset can deform the waist. It also restricts and displaces vital organs and causes back muscle atrophy.

Consider yourself lucky. If you think so, you, most likely, not only live in a society with a functioning legal system, but also where this system allows you to hope for fair and effective justice, especially in the case of the death penalty. Throughout most of human history, the main objective the death penalty was not so much an interruption human life how incredibly cruel torture of the victim. The sentenced to death had to go through hell-on-earth. So, here are the 25 most brutal execution methods in human history.

Scafism

An ancient Persian method of execution, when a person was stripped naked and placed in a tree trunk so that only the head, arms and legs protruded. They were then fed only milk and honey until the victim developed severe diarrhea. Thus, honey got into all open areas of the body, which should have attracted insects. As human feces accumulated, this attracted more and more insects and they began to feed and reproduce in his / her skin, which would become more gangrenous. Death can take more than 2 weeks and is most likely due to hunger, dehydration, and shock.

Guillotine

Created in the late 1700s, it was one of the first methods of execution, which called for the end of life rather than the infliction of pain. Although the guillotine was specifically invented as a form of execution of a person, it was prohibited in France, and in last time used in 1977.

Republican marriage

A very strange method of execution was practiced in France. A man and a woman were tied together and then thrown into the river to drown.

Cement Shoes

The method of execution was preferred by the American mafia. Similar to Republican Marriage in that drowning is used, but instead of being associated with a person of the opposite sex, the victim's feet were placed in concrete blocks.

Elephant execution

Elephants in South-East Asia often trained to prolong the death of the victim. The elephant is a heavy beast, but easy to train. Teaching him to trample criminals on command has always been fun. Many times this method has been used to show that there are rulers even in the natural world.

Plank walks

It was mainly practiced by pirates and sailors. The victims often did not have time to drown, as they were attacked by sharks, which usually followed the ships.

Bestiary

Bestiaries are criminals in Ancient Rome who were given to be torn apart wild beasts... Although sometimes the act was voluntary and carried out for money or recognition, often bestiaries were political prisoners who were sent into the arena naked and unable to defend themselves.

Mazatello

The method is named after the weapon used during the execution, usually a hammer. This method of capital punishment was popular in the papal state in the 18th century. The convict was escorted to the scaffold in the square and he was left alone with the executioner and the coffin. Then the executioner raised the hammer and struck the victim on the head. Since such a blow, as a rule, did not lead to death, immediately after the blow, the throats of the victims were cut.

Vertical "shaker"

Originated in the United States, this method of capital punishment is now often used in countries such as Iran. Although it is very similar to hanging, in this case, to sever the spinal cord, the victims were violently lifted up by the neck, usually using a crane.

Sawing

It was allegedly used in parts of Europe and Asia. The victim was turned upside down and then sawn in half, starting at the groin. Since the victim was upside down, the brain received enough blood to keep the victim conscious while the large vessels abdominal cavity were torn apart.

Flaying

The act of removing skin from the human body. This type of execution was often used to stoke fear, as the execution was usually carried out in public place in plain sight.

Bloody eagle

This type of execution was described in the Scandinavian sagas. The victim's ribs were broken so that they resemble wings. Then light victims were pulled through the hole between the ribs. Salt was sprinkled on the wounds.

Gridiron

Roasting the victim on hot coals.

Crushing

Although you've already read about the elephant crush method, there is another similar method. Crushing was popular in Europe and America as a method of torture. Every time the victim refused to comply, more weight was placed on their chest until the victim died of lack of air.

Wheeling

Also known as Catherine's Wheel. The wheel looked like an ordinary cart wheel, only of large sizes with big amount knitting needles. The victim was undressed, arms and legs were laid out and tied, then the executioner beat the victim with a large hammer, breaking bones. At the same time, the executioner tried not to inflict fatal blows.

Spanish tickler

Also known as cat paws. These devices were used by the executioner to tear and rip the skin from the victim. Often death did not occur immediately, but as a result of infection.

Burning at the stake

In history, a popular method of the death penalty. If the victim was lucky, he or she was executed along with several others. This ensured that the flame would be large and death came from poisoning. carbon monoxide, not from being burned alive.

Bamboo

Extremely slow and painful punishment was used in Asia. Bamboo stalks sticking out of the ground were sharpened. Then the accused was hung over the place where this bamboo grew. The rapid growth of bamboo and its pointed tops allowed the plant to pierce the human body through and through in one night.

Premature burial

This technique has been used by governments throughout the history of capital punishment. One of the last documented cases was during the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, when Japanese troops buried Chinese citizens alive.

Ling Chi

Also known as "death by slow cutting" or "slow death", this form of execution was eventually outlawed in China in the early 20th century. The victim's body organs were slowly and methodically removed while the executioner tried to keep him or her alive for as long as possible.

Hanged, drowned and dismembered

Used mainly in England. The method is regarded as one of the most brutal forms of execution ever created. As the name suggests, the execution was carried out in three parts. Part one - the victim was tied to a wooden frame. So she hung almost to the point of death. Immediately thereafter, the victim's abdomen was ripped open and the entrails were removed. Then the entrails were burned in front of the victim's eyes. Then the condemned man was beheaded. After all this, his body was divided into four parts and scattered throughout England for public viewing. This punishment was applied only to men, convicted women, as a rule, were burned at the stake.

Every criminal must be punished! This is the opinion of all mankind, and many demand that the punishment be as harsh and terrible as possible. In ancient times, people were not satisfied with the deprivation of the life of a convict, they wanted to see how criminals suffer from pain. That is why various painful punishments were invented in the form of impaling, gutting, quartering or feeding insects. Today you will find out what the most cruel executions were used before.

Alcatraz is America's worst prison

In Alcatraz, one of the most famous prisons with strict rules and strict standards, inveterate criminals did not have a chance to experience the horror of the cruel methods of execution invented by judges and executioners. Although it is Alcatraz that is considered the most terrible prison in America, there was no equipment for carrying out the death penalty.

This type of execution was a favorite pastime of the Romanian ruler Vlad Tepes, better known as Vlad Dracula. On his order, the victims were impaled on a stake with a rounded top. The torture instrument was inserted through the anus several tens of centimeters deep, after which it was placed vertically and raised higher. Under the weight of its own weight, the victim slowly slid down. The cause of death when impaled was a rupture of the rectum, which led to the development of peritonitis. According to available data, about 20-30 thousand of the subordinates of the Romanian ruler died from this type of execution.

The idea of ​​creating an invention designed to fight heretics belonged to Ippolito Marsili. The instrument of torture was a wooden pyramid, towering on four legs. The naked accused was hung on special ropes and slowly lowered onto the tip of the pyramid. The execution process was suspended at night, and in the morning the torture was resumed again. In some cases, additional weights were hung on the accused's legs to increase the pressure. The agonizing suffering of the victims could last for several days. Death occurred as a result of severe suppuration and blood poisoning, since the tip of the pyramid was washed very rarely.

This type of execution was commonly encountered by heretics and blasphemers. The convict had to put on special metal trousers, in which he was hung from a tree. Sunburn- this is nothing compared to what a person had to experience. Hanging in this position, the victim became food for predatory animals.

Those who have gone through this punishment are not to be envied. The limbs of the offender were tied to opposite sides of the hanger, after which the frame was stretched using a special lever until the arms and legs began to come out of the joints. Sometimes the executioners turned the lever so hard that the victim simply lost limbs. To intensify the suffering, thorns were also added under the victim's back.

This type of execution was used exclusively for women. For abortion or adultery, women were kept alive but deprived of their breasts. The sharp teeth of the execution weapon made it red-hot, after which the executioner tore the female breast into shapeless shreds with this device. Some French and Germans have come up with other names for the torture device: "Tarantula" and "Spanish spider".

Homosexuals, blasphemers, liars and women who did not give birth to a little man went through hellish torments. For those who sinned, a specially invented instrument of torture in the form of a pear with four petals was inserted into the anus, mouth or vagina. By rotating the screw, each petal slowly opened inside, delivering hellish pain and digging into the wall of the rectum, pharynx or cervix. Death as a result of such an execution almost never occurred, but it was often used in conjunction with other torture.

A person sentenced to a wheel ride most often died of shock and dehydration. The convict was tied to a wheel, and the wheel was set on a pole, so that the victim's gaze was directed to the sky. The executioner broke a man's legs and arms with a crowbar. The victim with broken limbs was not removed from the wheel, but left to die on it. Often, those sentenced to the wheel became an object of eating for birds of prey.

With the help of a two-handed saw, homosexuals and witches were most often executed, although some murderers and thieves were subjected to such torture. The execution instrument was operated by two people. They had to saw the convict hanging upside down. The flow of blood to the brain caused by the position of the body did not allow the victim to lose consciousness for a long period of time. So the unheard-of torment seemed eternal.

The Spanish Inquisition was particularly brutal. The most popular method of torture for the investigative and judicial body, created in 1478 by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, was the head crusher. In this type of execution, the victim's chin was fixed on a bar, and a metal hat was put on his head. With the help of a special screw, the executioner squeezed the victim's head. Even if a decision was made to end the execution, a person was left with crippled eyes, jaw and brain for life.

A person's legs were placed in cutting pliers with sharp teeth, the number of which varied from 3 to 20, but the hands were also not ignored. Death as a result of torture with the wire cutters did not occur, but the victim was severely crippled. In some cases, to intensify pain, the teeth of the pliers were red-hot.

History knows, there are still many sophisticated methods of execution, and judging by how cruel and terrible they were, one can only rejoice that none of them has survived to this day.

In antiquity and in the Middle Ages, torture was a cruel reality, and the tools of executioners often became the pinnacle of engineering. We have collected 15 of the most terrible methods of torture, with the help of which they dealt with witches, dissidents and other criminals.

Excrement bath

During the torture known as "sitting in the bathtub," the convict was placed in a wooden tub so that only his head protruded from the outside. After that, the executioner smeared his face with milk and honey so that flocks of flies flocked to him, which soon began to lay the larvae in the body. The victim was also regularly fed, and eventually the unfortunate person literally bathed in his excrement. After a few days, the larvae and worms began to devour the victim's body as it began to decompose alive.

Copper bull

The device known as the Sicilian bull was created in Ancient Greece and was a copper or brass bull, hollow inside. On his side there was a door through which the victim was placed inside. Then a fire was made under the bull until the metal was white-hot. The screams of the victim were amplified by an iron structure and sounded like the roar of a bull.

Impalement

This punishment became famous thanks to the famous Vlad Tepes. The stake was sharpened, buried vertically in the ground, and then a person was placed on it. The victim, under its own weight, slid over the stake, piercing the insides. Death did not come instantly, sometimes a person died for three days.

Crucifixion is one of the most famous torture methods of antiquity. This is how Jesus Christ was killed. This is a deliberately slow and painful punishment, during which the hands and feet of the convict were tied or nailed to a huge wooden cross. After that, he was left hanging until he died, which usually took several days.

Sprinkler

Typically, this device was filled with molten lead, resin, boiling water, or boiling oil, and then fixed so that the contents dripped onto the victim's stomach or eyes.

"Iron Maiden"

Iron cabinet with drop-down front and spiked interior. A person was placed in the closet. Every movement was painful.

Rope as a murder weapon

The rope is the easiest of all torture devices to use, and has many uses. For example, it was used to tie a victim to a tree, then leaving it to be torn apart by animals. Also, people were hung up with an ordinary rope or the limbs of the victim were tied to horses, which were allowed to gallop in different directions in order to tear off the limbs of the condemned.

Cement boots

Cement boots were invented by the American mafia to execute enemies, traitors and spies. They put their feet in a basin, which was filled with cement. After the cement dried up, the victim was thrown alive into the river.

Guillotine

One of the most famous forms of execution, the guillotine was made from a razor-sharp blade tied to a rope. The victim's head was fixed with pads, after which a blade fell from above, cutting off the head. Decapitation was considered an instant and painless death.

Rack

A device designed to dislocate every joint of the victim's body was considered the most painful form medieval torture... The hole was a wooden frame with ropes attached to its lower and upper parts. After the victim was tied up and placed on the platform, the executioner turned the handle, pulling the ropes tied to the limbs. The skin, tendons tore, all joints came out of the bags, and as a result, the limbs were completely detached from the body.

Rat torture

One of the most sadistic torture methods involved taking a cage with one open side, filling it with large rats, and tying the open side to the victim's body. Then the cage was heated from the opposite side. The natural instinct of rodents made them flee from the heat, and there was only one way - through the body.

Judas Torture Chair

The fearsome device known as the Judas chair originated in the Middle Ages and was used in Europe until the 1800s. The chair was covered with 500 to 1,500 spikes and fitted with stiff straps to hold the victim. Sometimes a hearth was installed under the seat to heat it from below. A chair like this was often used to scare people into confessing to something while looking at the tortured victim in the chair.

Sawing

The victim was first hung upside down and then sawn alive, starting at the perineum.

Crocodile scissors

Such iron pincers were used to deal with regicides. The instrument was heated red-hot, and then they crushed the testicles of the victim and tore them away from the body.

Wheeling

Torture, also known as Catherine's wheel, was used to slowly kill the victim. First, the victim's limbs were tied to the spokes of a large wooden wheel, which then slowly rotated. At the same time, the executioner simultaneously smashed the victim's limbs with an iron hammer, trying to break them in many places. After the bones were broken, the victim was left on a wheel, which was raised to a high pillar, so that birds could feed on the flesh of a still living person.

It is known that in the Middle Ages almost every castle had its own set of instruments for torture. There was such a terrible collection in the castle of the Count of Flanders in Belgium. It is enough to look at it to get goosebumps running down your spine.