Top Five (5) Most Brutal Forms of Capital Punishment Throughout History

Capital Punishment or the death penalty is the severest form of punishment by execution for certain crimes called capital offenses or crimes. Throughout history, the use of capital punishment was employed by almost all societies to suppress political dissent and to punish criminals. Though many countries have now abolished capital punishment, the punishment still remains in use throughout the world. We have collected the Top Ten Most Brutal Forms of Capital Punishment Throughout History.

1. Hanged, Drawn and Quartered

Hanged, Drawn and Quartered was the penalty used throughout England for treason only on male criminals. Many historians find it to be the most cruel and unusual form of punishment.

The punishment consisted of the convict was: 1) Dragged on a wooden frame to place of execution; 2) Hanged by the neck until almost dead; 3) Disembowelled and castrated, where the intestines and genitalia were burned before onlookers; and 4) Beheaded and the body cut into four parts to be spread around the city, town and country to deter others. Drawing and quartering was abolished in 1870.

2. Sawing

For sawing, the convict was hung upside down and then sawed apart straight down the middle, starting at the crotch. Because the brain received a continuous supply of blood despite the extreme loss of blood, the condemned remained alive and alert though was in severe pain. The individual would stay alive until major blood vessels in the upper stomach were ruptured, sometimes longer. Homosexuals of both sexes, rebellious peasants and adulterous men and women of the Roman Empire were subjected to this fate.

3. Flaying

Flaying of humans is the removal of skin for torture and execution. A sharp instrument, such as a knife is used to remove the skin and keep the skin intact. The condemned would die from excessive blood loss or infection with time. This form of execution was used by the Assyrians, the Aztecs, in medieval Europe and in some parts of China.

4. Iron Maiden

An Iron Maiden is an iron cabinet constructed to kill or torture the condemned. The iron cabinet was built with sharp objects like spikes, knives or nails inside of it. An individual was placed inside standing and the doors of the cabinet were closed repeatedly forcing bleeding and punctures until death due to blood loss or lack of oxygen should lungs be punctured. This form of capital punishment was used throughout the 18th Century in England.

5. Animal Related Methods

a. Attacked by / Devoured by Animals - Wolves, dogs, lions, rodents, alligators, fish, crabs, and insects were used throughout history.

b. Torn apart by Horses - In Ancient China Horses were tied to limbs and stretched an individual until his limbs tore.

c. Trampled by a herd of animals or Crushed by an elephant - This practice was done so by the Mongolian hordes.

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