“Have you ever wondered how humanity created such strange punishments throughout the centuries? Amidst kings and public trials, terrifying ideas and rituals emerged, designed to instill fear and punish criminals and heretics. These are methods that reveal the darker side of the past, and that’s exactly what you’re going to see here today.”
“Few people realize it, but impalement was once one of the most feared punishments in history. Basically, it was a method of torture and execution in which a stake was driven through the person, sometimes through intimate parts or other points, and they were left there conscious until they could no longer resist.”
“In addition to the extreme pain, there was also thirst and exhaustion, which made everything even more cruel. This type of punishment appeared in several regions of the world, mainly in Arabia and Europe. Centuries before Christ, the Assyrians already used the practice against prisoners of war and even civilians accused of certain crimes.”
“There is even a story that King Ashuripal enjoyed watching executions while he ate his meals. But the most famous name linked to impalement is that of Blad of Balakia. In present-day Romania, he earned the nickname Blad Tepes or Blad the Impaler after ordering the execution of countless enemies in that manner.”
“His fame was so great that it ended up inspiring Abraham Stoker to create the character Dracula. The Ottoman Turks also used impalement as punishment, especially against Christians who disobeyed religious rules. Today all this sounds absurd, but it helps to remember how far human cruelty has already been capable of going.”
“One of the most terrifying execution machines of antiquity became known as the bronze bull.”
“The story begins around the year 570 BC. In Sicily, during the period when Greek cities grew under the rule of tyrannical leaders. It was there that the architect Perillus of Athens presented his creation to the ruler Phalaris, a hollow bull made almost entirely of bronze with a small door at the top. The idea was simple and cruel.”
“The condemned person was placed inside the structure, locked up, and a bonfire was lit right underneath. The metal heated up rapidly, transforming the interior into a veritable oven. To make matters worse, there were tubes in the bull’s head that turned the screams into a sound similar to the mooing of an enraged animal.”
“To those watching from the outside, it seemed as if the bull had come to life. According to the accounts, Perilo himself was the first victim. Fallaris asked him to get into the machine to demonstrate the sound effect. He ordered the door to be closed and the fire to be lit. The architect ended up being pulled out alive and thrown off a cliff.”
“For nearly 16 years, Fallaris allegedly used the bull against anyone who challenged his power, even going so far as to display the machine during banquets. Later, the tyrant was overthrown and there are versions that say that he himself ended up being executed on the device.”
“In the 19th century, Spain adopted one of the most feared methods of execution in modern history.”
“The Garrote Bill was the only legal method at the time and was marked by cruelty. There was no anesthesia or any kind of relief. The convicted person went through a slow and agonizing process, which generated much criticism both inside and outside the country. The instrument looked simple, a small structure with a seat and a support behind the neck.”
“There were two versions. The oldest one used a thick rope and a piece of wood that was turned until breathing was interrupted. The process could last several minutes and caused total despair. Over time they realized that the rope made the situation even worse and it was replaced with metal pieces. Thus emerged the most advanced version with an adjustable metal collar and a rotating mechanism on the back.”
“The idea was to cause a quicker death, but it didn’t always work. Mistakes happened, and there were cases where the doctor still found signs of life minutes later. The garrote only officially disappeared in 1978 when the death penalty was abolished. Even so, the fear it provoked remained etched in the memory of those who lived through that era.”
“Among the most terrifying instruments of the Middle Ages, the so-called head crusher occupies a special place because of the cruel simplicity of its operation. Widely used during the Spanish Inquisition, this artifact was made of metal and resembled a helmet attached to a structure. There was a plate under the person’s chin.”
“Everything was connected by a central screw. Little by little the executioner turned that piece, causing the space between the helmet and the base to slowly decrease. The effect was immediate. The pressure began with the jaw and teeth, which gradually gave way with the adjustment. If the process continued, the facial bones were affected and the muscles were compromised forever.”
“Even when the session was interrupted before the end, the damage was already irreversible. Historical accounts tell of how some torturers would even lightly tap the top metal part with a small hammer, just to increase the desperation of whoever was trapped there. Today, a copy of the ‘plasta cabezas’ can be seen in the Palace of the Forgotten in Granada as part of exhibitions on ancient methods of punishment.”
“The Iron Maiden is one of those images that stays etched in the mind. A human coffin filled with metal nails inside, made to imprison someone and cause a slow end inside a narrow capsule. Just imagining it makes me uncomfortable. For a long time, this object was presented as a symbol of medieval brutality.”
“Replicas circulated through museums in Europe and the United States, always accompanied by stories about people left there until they could no longer endure. The most famous of these pieces appeared in Nuremberg, Germany. Built in the early 19th century, it became popular after historian Johan Siben Kies recounted the case of an alleged counterfeiter who died inside the artifact in 1515.”
“The piece was eventually destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944. There are also ancient references to sharpened boxes in classical texts. Saint Augustine mentioned something similar in the 5th century, and the Greek historian Polyvius wrote about a king of Sparta who would have used a similar device against debtors around the year 100 BC.”
“However, in the Middle Ages torture really existed, mainly during the Inquisition, linked to the idea of confession and remission of sins. But according to medievalist Peter Conetni, the actual methods used to be much simpler, such as tying people up with ropes. And now comes the interesting part. There is no archaeological evidence or reliable records of iron maidens in medieval use.”
“Everything indicates that this classic instrument was born much later, in the 17th century, created to shock the modern public and reinforce the idea that the past was wilder. In the end, the iron maiden is much more of a modern myth than a real legacy from the Middle Ages.”
“In ancient China there was a method of execution known as death by 1000 cuts.”
“The Linkchi language began to be used around the 6th century and was only officially banned in 1905, passing through several dynasties until the end of the Empire. The procedure was straightforward and terrifying. The condemned person was tied to a post with no possibility of reaction. From there, a trained executioner performed a sequence of calculated cuts at specific points.”
“The idea was not to end everything quickly, but to prolong the suffering as much as possible. Each blow weakened muscles, nerves, and blood vessels until the victim could no longer stand or react. The number of cuts varied considerably. Some accounts describe executions that lasted for hours, resulting in thousands of wounds.”
“Everything depended on the skill of the perpetrator and the seriousness of the crime. In cases considered less serious, families sometimes paid to ensure that the first cut was fatal. The last known case occurred in 1905 when Fou Chuli was convicted of the murder of his teacher, a Mongol prince. A few weeks later, linchi was banned.”
“Among the strangest methods already attributed to the history of torture, one of the most unusual involves goats. The so-called goat tickling worked in a way that was as simple as it was disturbing. The person was usually tied by the feet and the soles received a good layer of salt or honey. Then they brought in a hungry goat.”
“Attracted by the taste, the animal began to lick nonstop. At first the sensation might have seemed like just tickling, but that changed quickly. The goat’s tongue is rough, almost like sandpaper. Over time it wore down the skin, leaving everything extremely sensitive. What began as laughter turned into intense pain, accompanied by despair and humiliation.”
“There are records of this method in ancient texts. It appears in the writings of the Italian monk Franciscus Brunus de San Severino in 1502 and also in a list of techniques mentioned by the jurist Hippolytus de Marsili in 1537. There are even earlier references made by Giber de Nogent around the year 1115.”
“Some scholars believe that the practice may have even older roots, possibly linked to the Roman Empire. Apparently, it was a punishment reserved for minor offenses. It rarely led to death, but it guaranteed physical suffering and a huge psychological impact. After all, being brought to tears by a goat is something hard to forget.”
“Among the lesser-known instruments of the Middle Ages, the so-called heretic’s fork attracts attention more for its psychological effect than for its size. Also called a medieval fork, it was basically a piece of metal with two prongs at each end. The object was placed between the person’s throat and sternum, held in place by a leather strap around the neck.”
“One end rested on the chin, the other pressed against the chest. Its operation was cruelly simple. The victim remained standing and could not lower his head. Any false movement caused the tips to press even harder. Sleeping was impossible. As time went on, fatigue took hold, the muscles failed, and the pain increased.”
“The goal was not a quick death, but to break the resistance. The fork was mainly used during the Inquisition, including the Spanish one, as a way to force confessions or retractions. Today, examples can be seen in torture museums such as the Cielon Agora in Poland.”
“The so-called pear of anguish was a punishment instrument used mainly in Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries.”
“It was named for its shape, which resembled a closed metal pear. On the outside it seemed simple, but its operation was what made everything so cruel. The object consisted of several curved sheets attached to a threaded mechanism. When it was closed, it could be inserted into different parts of the punished person’s body depending on the accusation.”
“After that, the executioner slowly turned the key. With each turn, the blades opened outwards, causing severe internal injuries and a lot of pain. The process was carried out little by little, precisely to prolong the suffering.”
“Historical accounts indicate that the pear of anguish was used against people accused of heresy, treason, practices considered immoral, or even common crimes.”
“Today, historians debate to what extent its use was as common as popular records suggest. Many of the specimens we see in museums may have been later recreations made to impress. Even so, the pear of anguish became a symbol of a period in which punishment and spectacle went hand in hand and pain was seen as a legitimate tool of control.”
“Among the most brutal instruments associated with the Inquisition, the so-called Judas Cradle occupies a particularly disturbing place, created as a form of extreme punishment against heretics and those accused of moral crimes. This method sought to cause prolonged suffering, transforming the victim’s body into part of the torture mechanism itself, also known as the Judas chair.”
“The device consisted of a structure suspended by ropes where the person was tied by the torso and kept immobile. In the center of the base was a pyramid-shaped piece of wood pointing upwards. Little by little the condemned man was lowered onto that point that penetrated the rectum, causing forced dilation, internal injuries and continuous pain that could last for days.”
“According to historical accounts disseminated by researchers such as Professor Víor Soá, the method was systematized by the Italian physician Hipólito Marsili. Unlike swift executions, the Judas cradle was intended to prolong the agony. Internal injuries often led to infections or fatal hemorrhages, turning the process into a slow and agonizing death.”
“The technique is often described as a distant relative of impalement, but without completely piercing the body, opting for continuous suffering rather than a final blow.”
“The torture wheel or quartering wheel, also called the Saint Catherine wheel, was one of the most brutal methods of execution used from antiquity until the beginning of the modern era.”
“The instrument used to be a large cartwheel to which the condemned person was tied with their arms and legs placed between the spokes. The executioner would then break the bones with hammers, maas, or even the wheel itself. The blows usually started on the limbs and could slowly progress to the torso. In some cases there was a final blow to the chest to shorten death, but when that did not happen, the victim could agonize for hours or even days, exposed to the weather and animals.”
“After the execution, the body was often woven into the wheel and hoisted onto a pole, remaining visible to the public as a form of intimidation. In addition to its judicial use, the wheel entered the Christian imagination through Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was associated with the instrument after her martyrdom.”
“Among the most striking symbols of the French Revolution, the guillotine became known as the machine created to make the death penalty quick and humane. The device was about 4 m high and operated with a heavy blade guided by rails that fell from more than 2 m directly onto the condemned man’s neck in a single blow.”
“The idea of standardizing this method was championed by physician Joseph Ignas Guillotan, who believed that an instant death would be more dignified than failed hangings or decapitations performed with an axe. Well, that was the idea, but according to accounts, many times the blade was dull, which meant that the person had to receive more than one blow to die, further increasing the horror.”
“Although it bears the doctor’s name, he did not invent the machine. Similar devices had existed in Europe since the Middle Ages, but it was during the revolution that they gained notoriety. In 1792, surgeon Luis recommended the oblique blade, guaranteeing greater efficiency. Between 1792 and 1799, it is estimated that around 40,000 people were executed, including famous figures such as Louis X, Marie Antoinette, Danton, Robespierre, and the chemist Antoann la Buuasier.”
“During the so-called period of terror, thousands died in a few years, transforming executions into true public spectacles. Even after the revolution, the guillotine continued to be used in France. The last public execution took place in 1939 and the last beheading was in 1977. Four years later, in 1981, the country finally abolished the death penalty, proving that the guillotine took a long time to disappear.”
