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 efficient justice, especially in the case of the death penalty. For most of human history, the main purpose of the death penalty was not so much the interruption of human life as the incredibly cruel torture of the victim. Those sentenced to death had to go through hell-on-earth. So, the 25 most brutal methods of execution in the history of mankind.

Skafism

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 had severe diarrhea. Thus, honey got into all open areas of the body, which was supposed to attract insects. As the person's feces accumulated, the insects became increasingly attracted and they began to feed and multiply in his/her skin, which would become more gangrenous. Death can take over 2 weeks and most likely resulted from starvation, dehydration, and shock.

Guillotine

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

Republican marriage

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

cement shoes

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

Elephant execution

Elephants in Southeast Asia have often been trained to prolong the death of a prey. The elephant is a heavy animal, but easily trained. Teaching him to stomp on criminals on command has always been a fascinating thing. Many times this method has been used to show that there are rulers even in the natural world.

Plank walks

Mostly 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 to pieces by wild animals. 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's head. Since such a blow, as a rule, did not lead to death, the throat of the victims was cut immediately after the blow.

Vertical "shaker"

Originating in the United States, this method of capital punishment is now commonly 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 with the help of a crane.

Sawing

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 abdominal vessels were severed.

Flaying

The act of removing skin from a person's body. This type of execution was often used to stir up fear, as the execution was usually carried out in a public place in front of everyone.

blood eagle

This type of execution was described in the Scandinavian sagas. The ribs of the victim were broken so that they resembled wings. Then light victims were pulled through the hole between the ribs. The wounds were sprinkled with salt.

Gridiron

Roasting the victim on hot coals.

Crushing

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

wheeling

Also known as Catherine's Wheel. The wheel looked like an ordinary wagon wheel, only larger with a large number of spokes. The victim was undressed, arms and legs were laid out and tied, then the executioner beat the victim with a large hammer, breaking the bones. At the same time, the executioner tried not to inflict mortal blows.

spanish tickler

The method is also known as "cat's paws". These devices were used by the executioner, tearing and tearing the skin from the victim. Often death did not occur immediately, but as a result of infection.

Burning at the stake

In history, the most popular method of the death penalty. If the victim was lucky, then he or she was executed along with several others. This ensured that the flames would be large and death would result from carbon monoxide poisoning rather than being burned alive.

Bamboo

An extremely slow and painful punishment was used in Asia. Bamboo stalks sticking out of the ground were sharpened. Then, over the place where this bamboo grew, the accused was hung up. 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 1937 Nanjing massacre, 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 organs of the victim's body were slowly and methodically removed while the executioner tried to keep him or her alive for as long as possible.

Hanged, drowned and dismembered

Mainly used in England. The method is regarded as one of the most brutal forms of execution ever created. As the name implies, the execution was performed in three parts. Part one - the victim was tied to a wooden frame. So she hung almost to death. Immediately afterwards, the victim's stomach was cut open and the entrails were removed. Further, the insides were burned in front of the victim. The condemned man was then beheaded. After all this, his body was divided into four parts and scattered throughout England as a public display. This punishment was applied only to men, condemned women, as a rule, were burned at the stake.

An eerie compilation of the most brutal methods of execution that were considered mundane and completely normal just 100 years ago. From some of these cruel options for the death penalty, it becomes already uncomfortable and even now goosebumps appear on the body. Read on, but not for the faint of heart.

15. Burial alive.

Burial alive begins our list of common executions. Dating back to BC, this punishment was used for individuals as well as for groups. The victim is usually tied up and then placed in a hole and slowly covered in earth. One of the most widespread uses of this form of execution was the Nanjing Massacre during World War II, when Japanese soldiers mass-executed Chinese civilians alive in what was referred to as the "Ditches of Ten Thousand Corpses".

14. Pit with snakes.

One of the oldest forms of torture and execution, snake pits were a very standard form of capital punishment. The criminals were thrown into a deep pit of poisonous snakes, dying after being attacked by angry and hungry snakes. Several notable leaders were executed in this manner, including Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warlord, and Gunnar, King of Burgundy.

13. Spanish tickler.

This torture device was commonly used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Used to rip through a victim's skin, this weapon could easily tear through anything, including muscle and bone. The victim would get involved, sometimes publicly, and then the tormentors would begin to mutilate her. Usually started with the limbs, the neck and torso were always saved for completion.

12. Slow cutting.

Ling Shi, which translates as "slow cutting" or "continuous death", is described as death due to a thousand cuts. Carried out from 900 to 1905, this form of torture was extended over a long period of time. The tormentor slowly cuts the victim, prolonging his life and torture for as long as possible. According to the Confucian principle, a body that is cut into pieces cannot be whole in the spiritual afterlife. Therefore, it was understood that after such an execution, the victim would be tormented in the afterlife.

11. Burning at the stake.

Death by burning has been used as a form of capital punishment for centuries, often associated with crimes such as treason and witchcraft. Today it is considered a cruel and unusual punishment, but back in the 18th century, burning at the stake was a normal practice. The victim contacted, often in the city center with spectators, after which he was burned at the stake. It is considered one of the slowest ways to die.

10. African necklace.

Commonly carried out in South Africa, the execution called the Necklace is unfortunately still quite common today. A rubber tire filled with gasoline is placed around the victim's chest and arms and then set on fire. Essentially, the victim's body turns into a molten mass, which explains why this is in the top ten on our list.

9. Execution by an elephant.

In South and Southeast Asia, the Elephant has been a method of capital punishment for thousands of years. Animals were trained to perform two actions. Slowly, in a long way, torturing the victim, or with a crushing blow, destroying it almost immediately. Commonly used by kings and nobles, these elephant killers only added to the fear of the common people who thought the king had supernatural power to control wild animals. This method of execution was eventually adopted by the Roman military. In this way, deserter soldiers were punished.

8. Execution "Five Punishments".

This form of Chinese capital punishment is a relatively simple act. It begins with the victim's nose being cut off, then one arm and one foot are cut off, and finally the victim is castrated. The inventor of this punishment, Li Sai, the Chinese Premier, was eventually tortured and then executed in the same way.

7. Colombian tie.

This method of execution is one of the bloodiest. The victim's throat was cut, and then the tongue was pulled out through the open wound. During La Violencia, a Colombian period of history fraught with torture and war, this was the most common form of execution.

6. Hanging, stretching and quartering.

Execution for high treason in England, with hanging, stretching and quartering, was common during medieval times. Although torture was abolished in 1814, this form of execution caused the deaths of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people.

5. Cement boots.

Introduced by the American Mafia, this execution method involves placing the victim's feet in cinder blocks and then filling them with cement, followed by throwing the victim into the water. This form of execution is rare, but still performed today.

4. Guillotine.

The guillotine is one of the most famous forms of execution. The guillotine blade was sharpened so perfectly that it decapitated the victim almost instantly. The guillotine is a seemingly humane method of execution until you learn that people could potentially still be alive for a few moments after the act. People in the crowd said that the executed, who were beheaded, could blink their eyes or even speak words after their heads were cut off. Experts theorized that the swiftness of the blade did not cause unconsciousness.

3. Republican wedding.

The Republican Wedding may not be the most gruesome death on this list, but it certainly is one of the most interesting. Originating in France, this form of execution was common among the Revolutionaries. It meant binding two people, usually of the same age, and drowning. In some cases where water was not available, the couple was executed with a sword.

Since ancient times, mankind has brutally dealt with its enemies, some even ate them, but mostly they were executed, deprived of their lives in a terrible way.
The same was done with criminals who violated the laws of God and man.
Over a thousand-year history, a lot of experience has been accumulated in the execution of the condemned.

Decapitation

The physical separation of the head from the body with the help of an ax or any military weapon (knife, sword) later, a machine invented in France, the Guillotine, was used for these purposes.
It is believed that during such an execution, the head, separated from the body, retains sight and hearing for another 10 seconds. Decapitation was considered a "noble execution" and was applied to aristocrats. In Germany, beheading was abolished in 1949 due to the failure of the last guillotine.

Hanging

Strangulation of a person on a rope loop, the end of which is fixed motionless, death occurs in a few minutes, but not at all from suffocation, but from squeezing the carotid arteries, while after a few seconds the person loses consciousness, and later dies.
In England, a type of hanging was used, when a person was thrown from a height with a noose around his neck, while death occurs instantly from a rupture of the cervical vertebrae.
In England, there was an “official table of falls” with the help of which they calculated the required length of the rope depending on the weight of the convict; if the rope is too long, the head is separated from the body.
A variation of hanging is garrote.
In this case, the person is seated on a chair, and the executioner suffocates the victim with a rope loop and a metal rod.
The last high-profile hanging - Saddam Hussein.

Quartering

It is considered one of the most cruel executions, and was applied to the most dangerous criminals.
When quartered, the victim was strangled, then the stomach was cut open and the genitals were cut off, and only then the body was cut into four or more parts and the head was cut off.
Thomas More, sentenced to quartering with burning of the inside, but on the morning before the execution he was pardoned, and the quartering was replaced by decapitation, to which More replied: "God save my friends from such mercy"

wheeling

The death penalty common in the Middle Ages. Professor A.F. Kistyakovsky in the 19th century described the wheeling process used in Russia as follows:
The St. Andrew's Cross, made of two logs, was tied to the scaffold in a horizontal position.
On each of the branches of this cross two notches were made, one foot apart from the other.
On this cross, the criminal was stretched so that his face was turned to the sky; each end of it lay on one of the branches of the cross, and in every place of each joint it was tied to the cross.
Then the executioner, armed with an iron quadrangular crowbar, struck at the part of the penis between the joint, which just lay above the notch.
In this way, the bones of each member were broken in two places.
The operation ended with two or three blows to the stomach and a breaking of the backbone.
The criminal, broken in this way, was placed on a horizontally placed wheel so that the heels converged with the back of the head, and they left him in this position to die.

Burning at the stake

The death penalty, in which the victim is burned at the stake in public.
Execution became widespread during the period of the Holy Inquisition, and only in Spain about 32 thousand people were burned.
On the one hand, the execution took place without the shedding of blood, and the fire also contributed to the purification and salvation of the soul, which was very suitable for the inquisitors to exorcise demons.
In fairness, it should be said that the Inquisition replenished the “budget” at the expense of witches and heretics, burning, as a rule, the most wealthy citizens.
The most famous people burned at the stake by Giorgiano Bruno are as a heretic (he was engaged in scientific activities) and Joan of Arc, who commanded the French troops in the Hundred Years War.

Impalement

The death penalty, in which the condemned was put on a pointed vertical stake.
Impaling was used in the Commonwealth until the 18th century, and many Zaporizhian Cossacks were executed in this way.
Also, this execution was used in Europe, in particular in Sweden in the 17th century.
Death occurs as a result of bleeding or peritonitis, the person died slowly and painfully over several days.
With regard to women, this execution was used in Romania, and a stake was inserted into the vagina, while death occurred quickly from profuse bleeding.

Hanging by the rib

A type of death penalty in which an iron hook was thrust into the side of the victim and hung up.
Death came from thirst and blood loss after a few days.
The hands of the victim were tied so that he could not free himself.
Execution was common among the Zaporizhian Cossacks.
According to legend, Dmitry Vishnevetsky, the founder of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, the legendary “Baida Veshnivetsky”, was executed in this way.

Throwing to Predators

A common type of ancient execution, common among many peoples of the world. Death came because you were eaten by crocodiles, lions, bears, sharks, piranhas, ants.

Buried alive

Burial alive was applied to many Christian martyrs. In medieval Italy, unrepentant murderers were buried alive.
In Russia of the 17th-18th centuries, women who killed their husbands were buried alive up to the neck.

crucifixion

Condemned to death, the hands and feet were nailed to the ends of the cross or the limbs were fixed with ropes. This is how Jesus Christ was executed.
The main cause of death during crucifixion is asphyxia caused by developing pulmonary edema and fatigue of the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles involved in the process of breathing.
The main support of the body in this position is the hands, and when breathing, the abdominal muscles and intercostal muscles had to lift the weight of the whole body, which led to their rapid fatigue.
Also, squeezing the chest with tense muscles of the shoulder girdle and chest caused stagnation of fluid in the lungs and pulmonary edema.
Additional causes of death were dehydration and blood loss.

Long history has shown that the most cruel creatures in the world are people. A vivid confirmation of this is the various methods of torture, with the help of which they found out truthful information from a person or forced him to make the necessary confession. It is hard to imagine what kind of torment the poor fellow had to endure, to whom the most terrible tortures were applied. Such methods of inquiry were especially popular during the Middle Ages, when the inquisitors tortured the victims, proving that they were in the service of the devil or engaged in witchcraft. But in subsequent times, various tortures were often used, especially during interrogations of military prisoners or spies.

The most terrible torture

Particularly sophisticated torture was invented by the servants of the holy department of investigations of sinfulness, called the Inquisition. People who survived this kind of interrogation often died or remained disabled for life.

Unbearable pain had to be experienced by a person who got into a witch's chair. This instrument of torture forced anyone to confess to all the sins attributed to him. There were sharp spikes on the seat of the device, its back and armrests, which, piercing into the body, made a person suffer greatly. The unfortunate was tied to a chair, and he involuntarily sat on the spikes. He had to endure unbearable torments that forced him to confess to all the charges incriminated to him.

No less terrible was the torture called the rack. It has been used in different ways:

• a person was placed on a special device, his limbs were stretched in opposite directions and fixed on the frame;
• the poor fellow was hung up, and by the hands, and heavy loads were tied to the legs;
• the person was placed horizontally, stretched, sometimes even with the help of horses.

If the martyr did not confess to his crimes, he was stretched to such an extent that the limbs practically came off, causing incredible suffering.

Quite often in the Middle Ages they resorted to torture by fire. To make a person suffer for a long time and confess his sins, he was placed on a metal grill and tied. The device was suspended, and a fire was made under it. After such torment, the poor fellow confessed to all the charges against him.

The worst torture for women

It is known that during the time of the Inquisition, many women were exterminated, who were suspected of witchcraft. They were not only executed with unimaginably terrible methods, but also tortured with various terrible tools. Quite often, chest breakers were used. The tool resembled pincers with sharp teeth that heated and tore the mammary glands apart with them.

A pear was a no less terrible instrument of torture. This device was inserted into the mouth or intimate openings in a closed form and opened with a screw. Sharp teeth on such a device severely injured the internal organs. Such torture was also used during interrogations of men suspected of being gay. After her, people died quite often. Severe bleeding or illness resulted in a fatal outcome, since the instrument was not disinfected.

The real torture can be considered an ancient African rite applied to girls who have reached the age of three. Children without any anesthesia scraped out the external intimate organs. Childbearing functions after such a procedure were preserved, but women did not experience sexual attraction, which made them faithful wives. This ritual has been carried out for many centuries.

The most brutal torture for men

The torture invented for men is not inferior in its cruelty. Even the ancient Scythians resorted to castration. To do this, they even had special devices called sickles. Such torture was often subjected to men who were captured. Often the procedure was performed by women who fought alongside men.

No less terrible was the torture in which the male genital organ was torn with red-hot tongs. The unfortunate man had no choice but to confess all his sins or to tell the truth required of him. Such torture was also entrusted to especially cruel women.

Unbearable pain was delivered by torture with a reed dotted with small thorns. It was inserted into the male genital organ and rotated until the tortured person gave out the necessary information. The thorns practically tore the inner flesh of the male organ, causing unbearable suffering. After such torture, it was very difficult for a person to urinate. Such torture was used by American and African Indians.

Nazi torture

The Nazis were especially cruel during interrogations during the Second World War. The Gestapo's favorite method was pulling out nails. The victim's fingers were clamped with a special device, and nails were torn off one by one until the person laid out the necessary information. Often, with the help of such torture, people were forced to confess to something they did not commit.

Very often, in specially equipped rooms in concentration camps, prisoners suspected of espionage were hung by the hands or tied to some object, after which they were brutally beaten with chains. Such blows caused multiple fractures and injuries, often incompatible with life.

Very often the Nazis used water torture. The victim was placed in a very cold room and fixed in a certain position. A container of ice water was placed over the poor man's head. Drops fell on the sufferer's head, which after a while even led to a loss of reason.

Modern terrible torture

Despite the fact that modern society is considered humane, torture has not lost its relevance. Experienced interrogators use the most brutal methods to extract the necessary information from the suspect. Electric torture is very common. Wires are brought to the human body and discharges are launched, increasing their power.

Water torture, often used in the Middle Ages, is also used in modern times. A person's face is covered with some kind of cloth and liquid is poured into the mouth. If the poor fellow began to choke, the torment stopped for a while. Particularly stubborn suspects were then beaten on their stomachs, which were swollen from a large volume of water, which caused severe pain and caused damage to internal organs.