An executioner, usually hooded, chops off the person's head. It was used often England in the 1500-1600's. The axe used for the last beheading in 1747 can be viewed at the Tower of London.

Burned at the Stake

Popular during the Inquisition for heretics, witches, and uppity women.

Drawn and Quartered

In this form of execution, the person is carved into pieces while alive. It was often combined with hanging and used for extremely serious crimes such as high treason, where mere hanging alone was not enough.

Impaling

Stakes are driven through the person's body in such a way that vital organs needed for survival are not pierced.

 Iron Maiden

The offender would be placed inside female effigies constructed of wood or iron with the inside hollowed out and filled with sharp iron spikes. The person would then be embraced by the iron maiden, being impaled by all the stakes.

Crucifixion

The criminal has his/her hands and feet nailed to a cross in the shape of a "T" and left to die.  This form of execution is widely associated with Christianity because it was the way in which Jesus Christ was put to death.

Drowning

The offender is forced under water until death occurs from suffocation.  It was also widely used as a test for supposed witches.  If the water rejects the woman and she floats, she is guilty and executed by another method. If the water accepts her and she drowns, she was innocent.

Blown from a Cannon

The person is positioned across the mouth of a can, then a shot is fired, blasting through the person's body.

Pendulum

A person lies on his or her back and a razor edged pendulum swings above them, slowly descending.  The most famous use of this was in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum."

Pressing

The person lies under some sort of slab-like surface and then heavy objects such as stones are placed on top until the person is crushed to death.

The Rack

This is catch-all term for a number of mechanical devices and practices which cause torture and death by stretching the person.

Sawing in Half

The offender was sawed in half.

Death by Insects or Animals

There are many variations on the scenario in which the person is staked to the ground, smeared with something sweet like honey, and left out to eventually be eaten, stung to death, or devoured by insects or animals.

Disembowelment

The torso is slit open and the entrails are removed.

Shot by Arrows

Executioners would aim at non-vital parts of the offender's body in order to prolong agony as long as possible.  This was widely practiced by the Vikings.

Spanish Donkey/Wooden Horse

The offender sat astride a V-shaped structure as if on a horse or donkey. Weights were increasingly attached to the person's feet, pulled him or her until the person is split in two.

Starvation

The offender was put away in a cell or cage and not fed anything.

Stoning

Rocks are thrown at the offender until he or she died. Often members of the community would assist in the stoning. This is still in practice in some Islamic and African countries.

Dragging

The offender is tied to a horse and dragged until death.

Throat Slitting

The offender's esophagus and/or jugular were cut causing death by suffocation or loss of blood.  This was not used very often because of its lack of drama.

Thrown from a Great Height

The person is thrown off a mountain or a high wall.

Tied in a Sack with Animals

A favorite practice in Ancient Rome, this method of execution involved the offender being placed in a sack with rabid, violent animals that would kill him or her.

The Cauldron

 A iron container, mouth down, is placed on the victim's stomach. The container is lifted a bit and some mice or rats slipped inside. Then the container is heated up from the outside with a flame. As it begins to get hot, the mice want to escape, but there is no way out except through the mouth of the cauldron. They then begin to gnaw through the person's stomach and do so until the person dies.

Torn Apart by Horses

A person is attached to four horses, one to each limb of the body. The horses are then giddied on to gallop in opposite directions with the aim that the person will become dismembered. This is not a very effective method unless certain tendons in the limbs are pre-cut.