Most Shocking Torture Methods used in history



Less a method of torture than a means of execution, impalement was typical of medieval punishment due to its simplicity. It was exactly what it sounds like: a large spike was inserted longitudinally, usually via the anus and emerging around the chest, shoulders, neck, or head.Like so many tortures, impalement didn't originate in the Middle Ages. In fact, impalement was codified as a punishment in the Code of Hammurabi in 1772 BCE.

The medieval period did mark maybe the most notorious impalings, however, thanks to the aptly named Vlad the Impaler.Vlad III Dracula relied on impalement to keep order in Wallachia, his little corner of 15th-century Romania. It was in his battles against the Ottoman Empire that resulted in historical notoriety, though, as he's said to have impaled as many as 20,000 Ottoman Turks outside the city of Targoviste in order to dissuade the next wave from advancing.

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