Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, execution was considered a preferable punishment compared to prison, because being in prison turned out to be a slow death. Being in prison was paid by relatives, and they themselves often asked that the perpetrator be killed.
They didn’t keep convicts in prisons - it was too expensive. If relatives had money, then they could take their loved one for maintenance (usually he sat in an earthen pit). But a tiny part of society was able to afford it.
Therefore, the main method of punishment for minor crimes (theft, insulting an official, etc.) were stocks. The most common type of block is "kanga" (or "jia"). It was used very widely, since it did not require the state to build a prison, and also prevented the escape.
Sometimes, in order to further reduce the cost of punishment, several prisoners were chained 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 the other), removal of the kneecaps, cutting off the nose, cutting off the ears, branding.
In an effort to make the punishment heavier, the judges invented the execution, which was called "carry out five types of punishments." The offender should have been branded, cut off his arms or legs, beaten to death with sticks, and put his head on the market for all to see.

In the Chinese tradition, beheading was considered a more severe form of execution than strangulation, despite the fact that strangulation is characterized by prolonged torment.
The Chinese believed that the body of a person is a gift from his parents, and therefore it is extremely disrespectful to the ancestors 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 offender 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 strangling the convict.
The strangulation could last for a very long time, as the executioners at times loosened the rope and allowed the almost strangled victim to take a few convulsive breaths, and then tightened the noose again.

"Cage", or "standing blocks" (Li-chia) - the device for this execution is a neck block, which was fixed on top of bamboo or wooden poles woven 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, then they were slowly removed.
The executioner removed the bricks, and the man hung with his neck clamped in a block, which began to choke him, this could go on for months until all the supports were removed.

Ling-Chi - "death by a thousand cuts" or "stings of a sea pike" - 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. Ling-chi was performed in order to intimidate in public places with a large crowd of onlookers.

For capital crimes and other serious offenses, there were 6 classes of punishment. The first was called lin-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 parts. In the presence of extenuating circumstances, his body, as a sign of imperial favor, was cut into only 8 pieces.
The offender was cut into 24 pieces as follows: 1 and 2 blows cut off the eyebrows; 3 and 4 - shoulders; 5 and 6 - mammary glands; 7 and 8 - muscles of the hands between the hand and the elbow; 9 and 10 - muscles of the arms between the elbow and shoulder; 11 and 12 - flesh from the thighs; 13 and 14 - calves of the legs; 15 - they pierced the heart with a blow; 16 - cut off the head; 17 and 18 - hands; 19 and 20 - the remaining parts of the hands; 21 and 22 - feet; 23 and 24 - legs. They cut it into 8 pieces like this: 1 and 2 cut off the eyebrows with blows; 3 and 4 - shoulders; 5 and 6 - mammary glands; 7 - they 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 pit a knife or even poison. But it is clear that few could afford such expenses.

Medieval executions and reprisals against prisoners are considered among the most cruel.

Special attention deserves landing on a stake. This type of medieval execution became especially popular in Byzantium and the Middle East. The famous prince of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler, very often used this method of execution to intimidate enemies.

Impaling: How did it happen?

Historians are aware of at least two varieties of this execution. In the first case, the condemned was pierced in the chest with a pointed stake. Thus, the victim died almost immediately from multiple tissue ruptures and from blood loss. In the second case, the executioners were more inventive and bloodthirsty. A wooden and pointed stake was driven into the victim through the anus, after lubricating the point with fat. The stake was driven inside with a hammer, causing the victim suffering from skin tears and bleeding. Sometimes the guilty victim was hung up by a rope and then impaled on a stake. Under the pressure of its own weight, the point of the stake exited either through the mouth or through the armpit and rib.

Features and reasons for impalement

It is interesting to note that main feature This execution was the long life expectancy of the victims after impalement.

Unfortunate victims could remain conscious for a long time and wait for their inevitable death. Medieval executioners dealt with prisoners so skillfully and skillfully that they managed not to damage a single vital organ. Thus, a crossbar was driven into the stake, which stopped the movement of the body at the moment when the stake approached the heart. This suspended death and delayed it for maximum periods.

The main advantages of execution through impalement were considered:

• Prolonged agony;
• An excellent method of intimidating the enemy;
• Availability of material for stakes.

In Rus', impalement was applied to criminals who dared to go against the king, rebelled or hunted by theft. Unfaithful wives were impaled on a rounded stake, after driving it into the vagina. Thus, women died within a few hours, and sometimes minutes, bleeding as a result of rupture of the uterus and female internal organs. Many husbands remained to watch the suffering of their wives to the end, and some left the body on a wooden frame until decomposition.

The type of execution through impalement was very often used by the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks. But the Cossacks themselves were subjected to the same torture by the Polish gentry.

The Assyrian authorities impaled rebels. This was done in public, and the image of this torture was left on bas-reliefs and frescoes, as a clear example for recalcitrant citizens.

The South Africans applied similar punishments to warriors who didn't follow orders, cowards and witches who were a threat to the government or the tribe. In this case, a person was put on all fours and, in turn, several sharpened stakes half a meter long and 5-10 centimeters wide were driven into the anus.

A new man has perched on top of me. Now something huge, like an elephant, was breaking into my body, almost tearing it apart. His penis was thick, it was as long as ever, with every thrust I shuddered in pain, screaming desperately and feeling blows to the cervix. A couple more pushes and I lost consciousness. But not for long, the stream was nearby, so a couple of buckets and I returned to reality. Should I remember what happened? I have been raped many times. Each time my refusal to confess was followed by another rape. Something else was scarier. Despite the pain, the periodically approaching sensations were so strong that I could not resist - I finished many times, then my nipples tightened, my face turned red, against my will I began to wave my pelvis to the beat of the man’s movements, and a hoarse moan of pain escaped from my throat and enjoyment. In these moments, I heard humiliating me, making me feel like a whore, the laughter of men and applause. Again and again this feeling of shame and impotence, horror for one's own body, for one's feelings. Finally, they untied me, it was already beginning to turn gray, they dragged me to the stream, washed me, then threw me into a shed in the village on soft hay, rubbed my body with vodka, gave me a drink strong broth, then they tied my hands to pegs driven into the ground so that I could toss and turn, but I could not bring my hands to the body. A blanket was thrown over the naked body. A decoction of herbs was poured into my mouth, a pleasant warmth passed through my exhausted body, the pain slowly disappeared, this caring frightened me terribly, I understood that they wanted to prepare me for the next tortures. Apparently something was mixed into the broth, because I soon forgot.

In the morning the door opened, several soldiers came in, they untied me, helped me up, it hurt between my legs, so I walked with my legs wide apart. I was placed before the duke again. He carefully looked at me and asked - "Aren't you tired? I'm giving you one last chance. While your body is not yet irreparably crippled." I shook my head. He smiled sadly - "well, as you know. It turns out that your stupidity turned out to be stronger. These 2 days I tried to take you off the block. Well, if you want to ..." I was pushed forward.

With my hands tied behind my back, I stood under an oak branch, the executioner several times tightly tied a terribly thin rope around my breasts at the very base. The rope got taut and I hung. My whole body convulsed, I hung with my head thrown back and screamed from unbearable pain, while my breasts, unnaturally stretched under the weight of the body, were lifted up. My strong breasts turned purple, blood oozed from the nipples, strangely, but I no longer felt them, only a slight tingling, the pain moved to the base of the breasts. I continued to hang, from the wild pain I could not control myself and again wet myself. The lips I had been biting convulsively bulged out and a trickle of blood oozed down my chin. I almost lost consciousness when suddenly my heels touched the ground. I was given a few minutes to rest. All this time I was asked to answer. Then they lifted me again by the chest. While I was writhing in the air, the executioners set up the brazier and rekindled the fire. One of the interrogators stepped forward and said, “So girl, the game is over before you get mutilated, but if you remain silent… Do you ever want to experience sensual pleasure? Now, if you don’t speak up, you will lose this opportunity. Now we'll burn your clitoris. Well?" Without answering, I watched with wide eyes of horror as the executioner took out red-hot tongs and approached me. They lowered me to the ground, spread my legs to the limit to the sides. The tongs were slowly brought to my groin. "Well? Have you thought? This is the last opportunity to change your mind. Speak up, don't be a fool." I bit my lips and suddenly a wave of wild pain pierced my body, but I did not have time to experience it to the end, falling into darkness.

I came to myself already in the barn. Strange, but I didn’t feel the middle of my body, looking down I saw a bandage. Seeing that I woke up, two people approached me - "Okay, girl. You can rest. We were already afraid that you were dead. You lay like this almost all day." I again poured infusion and wine into my mouth. I forgot.

In the morning they took me to the oak again.

"Listen, creature, I'm tired of you" - said Sag - "admit it, I don't have time to endure your nonsense anymore, will you talk?"

I swore dirty.

The executioners tied my hands behind my back and threaded a rope through them. She began to stretch, twisting my arms. A second and I hung on twisted arms. Terrible pain shot through my shoulders. I screamed.

The executioner calmly hung a large stone from my ankles, there was a crunch, my arms twisted even more. I groaned. The screams were so strong that they reverberated throughout the area. My entire body was covered in sweat that shone in the sun. I continued to moan. The executioner hung the second stone at his feet.

NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA - I yelled, my whole body shaking with terrible pain. It felt like my body was being torn apart. I groaned out of breath - "please stop, have mercy, please!"

"Speak, bitch! Where are your accomplices? Where? Where?"

"I can't tell you" - I heard my answer, as if from the outside, realizing what it means: even more pain! My stretched body was waiting for the next torture. Three executioners took wooden sticks. After a sign from the duke, they began to beat me all over my body - on the kidneys, tight buttocks, breasts, flat stomach, back. I was spinning like crazy and screaming and screaming. After 10 strokes, I lost consciousness. A bucket of water was thrown in my face, I came to my senses and the beating continued. My suffering was endless. The combination of racking and beating with sticks was terrible. The pain drove me crazy. She was stronger than I could imagine. I couldn't control myself anymore and wet myself again. The tormentors only laughed and after a short respite continued the torture. Again and again the blows with sticks broke my will and my body. I lost consciousness again, they quickly brought me to my senses and hit again. Torture that lasted for 2 hours!!! At the end of it, I was completely gutted. I passed out 12 times before the torturers decided to stop. I was untied and thrown into a barn. They treated me again so that I would gain strength for the next torment.

In the morning they took me to the oak. Sag patted my cheek and said, "Yes, you are more stubborn than I thought. However, I found a new way to talk to you. You can endure the pain yourself, but what if you look at the suffering of others?" He showed with his hand. I looked and could not believe my eyes - my best friend Veronica was standing there. She was naked. I knew she was pregnant and now I could see her big belly and breasts. Despite this, they tied her to a tree in an embrace and beat her with rods, and then put her on a bench and threw a noose around her neck. They pulled the rope, Veronica stood on her toes and wheezed, the noose squeezed her throat.

Hearing the words addressed to Veronica - "her own life, the life of yours and your born child depends on the recognition of this", I made a sign that I surrender. I told them what I knew about our people in the city.

I was brought to the city, thrown into a cell in the citadel. When they led me there, the soldiers laughed, "well, here you are at last in the royal castle, where you were so eager." For days I didn't know what was going on. They fed me well, bandaged my wounds and burns, gave me healing infusions to drink. I understood that the future would be scary, especially because they were watching me so that nothing happened to me. One evening the duke came down to the cell.

"You were unlucky, girl. Of those whom you named, only three were caught, the rest disappeared. Yes, and of yours, 20 people were caught all the time. Many corpses - and who needs them? The king is furious. Your gangs are sitting in the Black Forest and rich castles and convoys are robbed, but it is impossible to knock them out, they hid in the cities. In general, you yourself understand, he does not want to hear that you will be pardoned. Tomorrow you, all 4, will be put on stakes. He wants it to be an exemplary execution, so she'll be framed. Goodbye girl. It's a pity you weren't on our side." He left. I looked out the window, there was a sunset. And I had only that night to live.

In the morning they took me out of the cell.

My three best friends and I should have been impaled for the crimes committed. A huge crowd gathered in the main square of the city, in the most convenient place there was a platform where a bunch of courtiers huddled, still pale from the fear they had experienced. They surrounded the gilded chair where Dtir, our king, was reclining, enjoying every moment of the impending execution. A high wooden platform was built in the center of the square, in the middle of which four sharply honed aspen stakes were placed in a row. By order of the king, all the condemned were smartly dressed, in all white. I was wearing a white blouse tied at the waist, white stockings, white high-heeled sandals, and tight white panties. In this form, we were taken to the square and we climbed onto the platform.

Here, in front of everyone, we were forced to take off our panties and put on supports, pressing our pubes against the surface of the stakes. Each stake had a pair of small steps, the lever could move them up and down in special grooves. We were put on these footboards. With the help of a lever, they were slightly raised up so that the point of the stake was approximately at the level of the crotch. The executioner's assistants, supporting me by the hips, helped me insert the point of the stake into the vagina, and then lowered the steps a little so that the stake went deep enough inside.

We were lightly impaled on stakes, tied with a rope under the armpits, so that we could slow down the impalement, after which the verdict was read to all those gathered. After that, the executioner approached each of us in turn, asking if she was ready for execution and, having received an affirmative answer, threw back the steps. The last thing he asked me was "are you ready?" I hesitated a little, nodded my head and closed my eyes, prepared for a terrible death. The footboards instantly went out from under my feet and I sat down on the stake with all my weight ...

I felt something filling my vagina, then there was a familiar feeling of pain and pleasure, as in an act of love. The feeling of fullness in the vagina grew stronger, the rough surface of the sharpened stake irritated the clitoris, I became more and more excited, my breasts filled up, my nipples stood up, lubricant flowed down the surface of the stake, the sensations that suddenly came up turned out to be so strong that I finished: a hoarse breath escaped through my frequent breathing. a groan of pleasure, his chest reddened, his body seemed glossy with sweat. But the tearing of the vagina was getting stronger, something contrary to human nature began, my body seemed to be torn into 2 halves and suddenly a terrible, incomparable pain, which seemed to be impossible in the world, which seemed impossible to endure alive, pain felt like an unprecedented orgasm, something that seemed never experienced by a woman, the greatest pleasure pierced my body. A terrible, piercing, hoarse cry of pain and happiness escaped from his throat. The stake pushed even further, my labia cracked, the point pierced the uterus, I screamed again, even louder, probably my scream was heard throughout the city, a new wave of pain and pleasure swept through the body, which all arched, the scream became even more hoarse, like a scream. With the edge of a clouded consciousness, I heard the words of the executioner "A croaked", they lowered me a little lower, I repeated my terrible cry. Suddenly, the rope was released, my body went down even lower and a crossbar rested against the crotch, nailed perpendicular to the stake. She did not let me go down and die quickly, pierced with a stake. I writhed on the stake for several more hours, inside my bosom it seemed like a fire had been kindled. But in spite of everything, I continued to see my friends - before the execution, my eyelids were cut off, so that I could not close my eyes. My friends also writhed on thick aspen stakes, I heard their screams, full of pain and pleasure. Then my eyes began to darken and blissful unconsciousness set in...

………………………………………………….

How beautifully I, already dead, sat on a stake, lowering my head to my chest. And it was not for nothing that we were dressed in all white - blood dripped from the crotch onto the stake and onto my legs covered with white stockings and dripped onto the wooden platform from the socks of my sandals. Blood was also dripping from my mouth and nose, right on my snow-white blouse ...

Executed in Rus' for a long time, subtly and painfully. Historians to this day have not come to a consensus about the causes of the death penalty.

Some are inclined to the version of the continuation of the custom of blood feud, others prefer the Byzantine influence. How did they deal with those who broke the law in Rus'? Drowning This type of execution was very common in Kievan Rus. Usually it was used in cases where it was required to deal with a large number of criminals. But there were also isolated cases. For example, Kyiv prince Rostislav was somehow angry with Gregory the Wonderworker. He ordered to tie the rebellious hands, throw a rope loop around his neck, at the other end of which a heavy stone was fixed, and throw it into the water. Executed by drowning Ancient Rus' and apostates, that is, Christians. They were sewn into a bag and thrown into the water. Usually such executions took place after battles, during which many prisoners appeared. Execution by drowning, in contrast to execution by burning, was considered the most shameful for Christians. Interestingly, centuries later, the Bolsheviks in the course of civil war used drowning as a reprisal against the families of the "bourgeois", while the condemned were tied hands and thrown into the water.

Burning From the 13th century, this type of execution was usually applied to those who violated church laws - for blasphemy against God, for unholy sermons, for witchcraft. Ivan the Terrible especially loved her, who, by the way, was very inventive in the methods of execution. So, for example, he came up with the idea of ​​sewing the offenders into bearskins and giving them to be torn to pieces by dogs or skinning a living person. In the era of Peter, execution by burning was applied to counterfeiters. By the way, they were punished in another way - they poured molten lead or tin into their mouths. Burying Burying alive in the ground was usually applied to murderers. Most often, a woman was buried up to her throat, less often - only up to her chest. Such a scene is excellently described by Tolstoy in his novel Peter the Great. Usually, a crowded place became a place for execution - a central square or a city market. Next to the still alive executed criminal, they put up a sentry who stopped any attempts to show compassion, to give the woman water or some bread. It was not forbidden, however, to express their contempt or hatred for the criminal - to spit on her head or even kick her. And those who wished could give alms for the coffin and church candles. Usually, a painful death came on 3-4 days, but history recorded a case when a certain Euphrosyne, buried on August 21, died only on September 22. Quartering During quartering, the condemned were cut off their legs, then their arms, and only then their heads. So, for example, Stepan Razin was executed. It was planned to take the life of Yemelyan Pugachev in the same way, but he was first cut off his head, and only then he was deprived of his limbs. From the examples given, it is easy to guess that this type of execution was used for insulting the king, for an attempt on his life, for treason and for imposture. It is worth noting that, unlike the Central European, for example, Parisian crowd, which perceived the execution as a spectacle and dismantled the gallows for souvenirs, Russian people treated the condemned with compassion and mercy.

So, during the execution of Razin, there was deathly silence on the square, broken only by rare female sobs. At the end of the procedure, people usually dispersed in silence. Boiling Boiling in oil, water or wine was especially popular in Rus' during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The condemned was put into a cauldron filled with liquid. Hands were threaded into special rings built into the cauldron. Then the cauldron was put on fire and slowly heated up. As a result, the person was boiled alive. Such an execution was applied in Rus' to state traitors. However, this view looks humane compared to the execution called "Walking in a circle" - one of the most fierce methods used in Rus'. The condemned was cut open in the stomach in the area of ​​​​the intestines, but so that he did not die too quickly from blood loss. Then they removed the gut, nailed one end of it to a tree and forced the executed person to walk around the tree in a circle. Wheeling Widespread wheeling was in the era of Peter. The sentenced was tied to a timbered St. Andrew's cross fixed on the scaffold. Notches were made on the rays of the cross. The criminal was stretched on the cross face up in such a way that each of his limbs lay on the rays, and the places of the folds of the limbs were on the notches. The executioner dealt one blow after another with an iron crowbar of a quadrangular shape, gradually breaking the bones in the folds of the arms and legs.

The work of crying ended with two or three precise blows to the stomach, with the help of which the ridge was broken. The body of the broken criminal was connected so that the heels converged with the back of the head, laid on a horizontal wheel and left to die in this position. The last time such an execution was applied in Rus' to the participants in the Pugachev rebellion. Impaling Like quartering, impalement was usually applied to rebels or traitor thieves. So Zarutsky, an accomplice of Marina Mnishek, was executed in 1614. During the execution, the executioner drove a stake into the human body with a hammer, then the stake was placed vertically. The executed gradually, under the weight of his own body, began to slide down. After a few hours, the stake came out through his chest or neck. Sometimes a crossbar was made on the stake, which stopped the movement of the body, preventing the stake from reaching the heart. This method significantly extended the time of painful death. Impaling until the 18th century was a very common type of execution among the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks. Smaller stakes were used to punish rapists - they were driven a stake through the heart, as well as against mothers who killed children.

Since ancient times, people brutally dealt with their enemies, some even ate them, but mostly they were executed, deprived of their lives in terrible and sophisticated ways. 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. In this case, the person first loses consciousness, and later dies.
The medieval gallows consisted of a special pedestal, a vertical column (pillars) and a horizontal beam, on which the condemned were hung, placed above the likeness of a well. The well was intended for falling off parts of the body - the hanged remained hanging on the gallows until complete decomposition.
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. There was an “official table of falls”, with the help of which the required length of the rope was calculated depending on the weight of the convict (if the rope is too long, the head separates from the body).
A variation of hanging is garrote. A garrote (an iron collar with a screw, often equipped with a vertical spike on the back) is generally not strangled. She breaks her neck. In this case, the executed person dies not from asphyxiation, as happens if he is strangled with a rope, but from crushing of the spine (sometimes, according to medieval evidence, from a fracture of the base of the skull, depending on where to put it on) and a fracture of the cervical cartilage.
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 (not to death), then the stomach was cut open, the genitals were cut off, and only then the body was cut into four or more parts and the head was cut off. Body parts were put on public display "where the king deems it convenient."
Thomas More, the author of Utopia, who was sentenced to be quartered with gut burning, was pardoned on the morning before his execution, and the quartering was replaced by decapitation, to which More replied: "God spare my friends from such mercy."
In England, quartering was used until 1820, formally abolished only in 1867. In France, quartering was carried out with the help of horses. The convict was tied by the arms and legs to four strong horses, which, whipped by the executioners, moved in different directions and tore off the limbs. In fact, the convict had to cut the tendons.
Another execution by tearing the body in half, noted in pagan Rus', was that the victim was tied by the legs to two bent young trees, and then released. According to Byzantine sources, Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans in 945 because he wanted to collect tribute from them twice.wheeling

A common type of death penalty in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, it was common in Europe, especially in Germany and France. In Russia, this type of execution has been known since the 17th century, but wheeling began to be regularly used only under Peter I, having received legislative approval in the Military Charter. Wheeling ceased to be used only in the 19th century.
Professor A.F. Kistyakovsky in the 19th century described the wheeling process used in Russia as follows: 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. Along with immuring and imprisoning, burning was widely used in the Middle Ages, since, according to the church, on the one hand, it took place without “shedding blood”, and on the other hand, the flame was considered a means of “purification” and could save the soul. Heretics, "witches" and those guilty of sodomy were especially often subject to burning.
The execution became widespread during the period of the Holy Inquisition, and only in Spain about 32 thousand people were burned (excluding the Spanish colonies).
Most famous people burned at the stake: Giorgiano Bruno - as a heretic (engaged in scientific activity) and Jeanne d'Arc, who commanded the French troops in the Hundred Years' War.Impalement

Impaling was widely used in ancient Egypt and the Middle East, its first mention dates back to the beginning of the second millennium BC. e. Execution was especially widespread in Assyria, where impalement was a common punishment for residents of rebellious cities, therefore, for instructive purposes, scenes of this execution were often depicted on bas-reliefs. This execution was used according to Assyrian law and as a punishment for women for abortion (considered as a variant of infanticide), as well as for a number of especially serious crimes. On the Assyrian reliefs, there are two options: with one of them, the condemned person was pierced with a stake in the chest, with the other, the tip of the stake entered the body from below, through the anus. Execution was widely used in the Mediterranean and the Middle East at least from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. It was also known to the Romans, although it was of particular distribution in Ancient Rome did not receive.
For a large part of medieval history, the execution by impalement was very common in the Middle East, where it was one of the main methods of painful death penalty. It became widespread in France during the time of Fredegonda, who was the first to introduce this type of execution, conferring on her a young girl of a noble family. The unfortunate was laid on his stomach, and the executioner drove a wooden stake into his anus with a hammer, after which the stake was driven vertically into the ground. Under the weight of the body, the person gradually slid down until, after a few hours, the stake came out through the chest or neck.
The ruler of Wallachia, Vlad III Tepes (“the impaler”) Dracula, distinguished himself with particular cruelty. According to his instructions, the victims were impaled on a thick stake, in which the top was rounded and oiled. The stake was inserted into the anus to a depth of several tens of centimeters, then the stake was placed vertically. The victim, under the influence of the gravity of his body, slowly slid down the stake, and sometimes death occurred only after a few days, since the rounded stake did not pierce the vital organs, but only went deeper into the body. In some cases, a horizontal bar was installed on the stake, which prevented the body from sliding too low, and ensured that the stake did not reach the heart and other critical organs. In this case, the death of rupture of internal organs and great blood loss did not come very soon.
King Edward of England was executed by impalement. The nobles rebelled and killed the monarch by driving a red-hot iron rod into his anus. Impaling was used in the Commonwealth until the 18th century, and many Zaporizhian Cossacks were executed in this way. With the help of smaller stakes, rapists were also executed (they drove a stake into the heart) and mothers who killed their children (they were pierced with a stake after being buried alive in the ground).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.stoning

After the appropriate decision of the authorized legal body (the king or the court), a crowd of citizens gathered to kill the guilty person by throwing stones at him. At the same time, small stones should have been chosen so that the condemned person would not be exhausted too quickly. Or, in a more humane case, it could be one executioner, dropping one large stone from above on the condemned.
Currently, stoning is used in some Muslim countries. On January 1, 1989, stoning remained in the legislation of six countries of the world. An Amnesty International report gives an eyewitness account of a similar execution in Iran:
“Next to a wasteland, a lot of stones and pebbles were poured out of a truck, then they brought two women dressed in white, bags were put on their heads ... A hail of stones fell on them, turning their bags red ... The wounded women fell, and then the guards of the revolution broke through their heads with shovels to finally kill them.Throwing to Predators

The oldest type of execution, common among many peoples of the world. Death came because the victim was bitten by crocodiles, lions, bears, snakes, sharks, piranhas, ants.Walking in circles

A rare method of execution, practiced, in particular, in Rus'. The victim's stomach was steamed in the area of ​​the intestines, so that he would not die from blood loss. Then they took out an intestine, nailed it to a tree and forced it to walk in a circle around the tree. In Iceland, a special stone was used for this, around which they walked according to the verdict of the Thing.

Buried alive

A type of execution not very common in Europe, which is believed to have come to the Old World from the East, but there are several documentary evidence of the use of this type of execution that have come down to our time. Burial alive was applied to Christian martyrs. In medieval Italy, unrepentant murderers were buried alive. In Germany, female child killers were buried alive in the ground. In Russia in 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.Welding in boiling water

Liquid welding was a common form of capital punishment in different countries peace. In ancient Egypt, this type of punishment was applied mainly to persons who disobeyed the pharaoh. The slaves of the pharaoh at dawn (specially so that Ra could see the criminal) made a huge fire, over which there was a cauldron of water (and not just water, but the dirtiest water, where waste was poured, etc.) Sometimes whole families.
This type of execution was widely used by Genghis Khan. In medieval Japan, boiling water was applied mainly to ninja who failed an assassination and were captured. In France, this execution was applied to counterfeiters. Sometimes intruders were boiled in boiling oil. There remains evidence of how in 1410 in Paris a pickpocket was boiled alive in boiling oil.Pouring lead or boiling oil down the throat

It was used in the East, in Medieval Europe, in Rus' and among the Indians. Death came from a burn of the esophagus and strangulation. The punishment was usually set for counterfeiting, and often the metal from which the offender cast coins was poured. Those who did not die for a long time were cut off the head.Execution in a bag

lat. Poena cullei. The victim was sewn into a bag with different animals (snake, monkey, dog or rooster) and thrown into the water. Practiced in the Roman Empire. Under the influence of the reception of Roman law in the Middle Ages, it was assimilated (in a somewhat modified form) in a number of European countries. Thus, in the French code of customary law "Livres de Jostice et de Plet" (1260), created on the basis of Justinian's Digest, it speaks of an "execution in a bag" with a rooster, a dog and a snake (the monkey is not mentioned, apparently for reasons of rarity this animal for medieval Europe). Somewhat later, an execution based on poena cullei also appeared in Germany, where it was used in the form of hanging a criminal (thief) upside down (sometimes hanging was carried out by one leg) together (on one gallows) with a dog (or two dogs hung on the right and left from the executed). This execution was called the "Jewish execution", since over time it began to be applied exclusively to Jewish criminals (it was applied to Christians in the rarest cases in the 16th-17th centuries).Excoriation

Skinning has a very ancient history. Even the Assyrians skinned captured enemies or rebellious rulers and nailed them to the walls of their cities as a warning to those who would challenge their power. The Assyrian ruler Ashurnasirpal boasted that he flayed so many skins from the guilty nobility that he covered the columns with it.
Especially often used in Chaldea, Babylon and Persia. IN ancient india the skin was removed by fire. With the help of torches, she was burned to meat all over her body. With burns, the convict suffered for several days until death. IN Western Europe was used as a method of punishment for traitors and traitors, as well as to ordinary people who were suspected of having love affairs with women of royal blood. Also, the skin was torn off the corpses of enemies or criminals for intimidation.ling chi

Ling-chi (Chinese for "death by a thousand cuts") is a particularly painful method of execution by cutting off small fragments from the victim's body for a long period of time.
It was used in China for high treason and parricide in the Middle Ages and during the Qing dynasty until its abolition in 1905. In 1630, a prominent Ming commander Yuan Chonghuan was subjected to this execution. The proposal to abolish it was made back in the 12th century by the poet Lu Yu. During the Qing dynasty, ling-chi was performed in public places with a large gathering of onlookers for the purpose of intimidation. Surviving descriptions of the execution differ in detail. The victim was usually drugged with opium, either out of mercy or to prevent her from losing consciousness.
In his History of Torture of All Ages, George Riley Scott quotes from the notes of two Europeans who had the rare opportunity to be present at such an execution: their names were Sir Henry Norman (he saw this execution in 1895) and T. T. Ma-Dawes:
“There is a basket covered with a piece of linen, in which lies a set of knives. Each of these knives is designed for a certain part of the body, as evidenced by the inscriptions engraved on the blade. The executioner takes one of the knives at random from the basket and, based on the inscription, cuts off the corresponding part of the body. However, at the end of the last century, such a practice, in all likelihood, was supplanted by another, which left no room for chance and provided for cutting off parts of the body in a certain sequence with a single knife. According to Sir Henry Norman, the convict is tied to the likeness of a cross, and the executioner slowly and methodically cuts off first the fleshy parts of the body, then cuts the joints, cuts off individual limbs and ends the execution with one sharp blow to the heart ...