Guillotine story: A lawyer, doctor, and engineer are about to be executed. The lawyer is first and can ask to be face up to face the blade (considered more brave) or face down. He chooses face up. The executioner pulls the handle but the blade fails to fall. Under the policy, the man is spared. Next up was the doctor. Same thing. Face up. Blade didn't fall. He was also spared. Finally, the engineer was put in the device. And again, face up looking at the blade. And the engineer says, "Wait! I think I see what's wrong."
@@melvert33 as bad as my claustrophobia is, I'd like to think I would die of a heart attack just thinking about it before it actually happened, just thinking of it in general makes my heart race
In comparison with some other methods of inflicting death, this was not brutal at all. Hanging, drawing, and quartering; strangulation; peine forte et dure (used on St. Margaret Clitherow); drowning; being starved to death (used on the Carthusian monks); burning at the stake; and methods used against the early Christians make a quick chop appear merciful.
Youi can add being "impaled" to your list, perhaps the top of it. Look up "Vlad the Impaler" to see what this was all about. Too gruesome to describe here.
There's also boiling in oil, but nothing beats scaphism: being tied in a boat and overfed on milk and honey. The victim would empty their bowels and/or vomit attracting lots of insects to feast on them. Then they laid their eggs (often inside orifices) which then led to being eaten from the inside out. The victim was fed daily to prevent starvation and prolong the agony. Even a King of England was starved to death - Richard II.
@@LJB103 i always said that was one of the worst. have hear stories of barbarians, (Atilla I think did this) taking the children of their enemies, placing them on the wheel or crucify them and skin them alive in front of the parents...all sorts of hell inflicted on their children only for the entertainment of the barbarians. Native American Indians did very similar to their enemies. They were far more brutal than portrayed in popular culture of the spiritual, peace loving, red man that just wants to live in harmony with nature.....far from it, they were just as war-like and brutal as any other culture throuought history, more so even than some. The Chinese Lingchi (death by 1000 cuts) was also particularly brutal and could be made to last hours, even days.
@@justindearmond1 There is also a variation on burning at the stake that is quite brutal. Tie a person to the stake but put the wood to be burned in a circle around him/her but about 3 feet away. They're not being burned, but baked; and it can take hours of searing pain before they die. (Don't forget to keep feeding the fire.)
The weight on the blade does not make it fall faster, but land with more force. You can ask Galileo to corroborate this. While the actual experience of the moment of death may be somewhat relatively humane compared to some other ways, the anticipation of beheading on the guillotine is most horrific, I think. Henry VIII's second wife, Ann Boleyn was not executed by the axe, but by the sword at her request.
Sawing someone in half starting in their crutch whilst they're suspended upside down would be a contender for the most savage. Likewise having a Lion set on them etc. It's horrendous what some poor sods have suffered over the centuries.
Edinburgh history is gruesome, not at all surprised we had the first head chopper, I laughed when you said the blade got blunt. I live there and have been on some tours and learned a lot from my Mum, who was raised near the High Street. Her friends Dad was the caretaker at The Toll Booth where there had been many hangings. The Merkat Cross is one place you didn’t want to be dragged to.
When I was there I saw thumbscrews made for children at I believe the edinburgh dungeon. Brrrrrr 😵💫 I love edinburgh btw. It really made a big impression on me. Definitely going back some day.
Correct on the momentum. Could it also be that the acceleration of the blade, hence final velocity, would be compromised by light resistance during its descent, something that the greater weight would help to overcome?
This is really interesting, I had no idea the Maiden looked like this. I always thought the Maiden was a coffin thing with spikes in the door, is that also a maiden or is it called something else?
@@christopherlawley1842 Yes Indeed,l have read that this quite Elaborate form of Torture was never used,,it may have never even been constructed for this purpose..Never the less,lt is Still The stuff of Nightmares 🏴
King to Bill and Ted: "Put them in the Iron Maiden!!!" Bill and Ted: "Excellent!!" King: "Execute them!!!!" Bill and Ted: "Bogus." ruclips.net/video/6iasuHMvymI/видео.html
Having studied history up to S level i was priviledged to be able to see things in the Tower of London that not many of the general public are allowed to see. I also stayed there when i was an Officer in 42RM.
The Halifax Gibbet was used for executions from 1286 until 1650 when Oliver Cromwell abolished the Gibbet Law. The original blade is on display at Bankfield Museum in Boothtown, Halifax, the museum is only a ten minute walk from The Halifax town hall.
It figures that the Frenchies stole the idea and took all the credit. In a choice between Maiden/Guillotine or being burned at the stake, I agree with Curly of the Three Stooges and take the latter. He phrased it best: "I'd rather have a hot stake than a cold chop!"
Even the French version of the guillotine could be considered more brutal than the Scotch. The maiden was designed as a quick , efficient death while the guillotine was a gruesome form of street theatre. It was deliberately built way taller than it needed to be to increase the distance it could be seen by its victims and to increase the anticipation before the act was carried out, both before and after the cord was pulled. Everything about the executions of the French revolution were designed to be as theatrical and humiliating as possible. If you want to talk about brutal and torturous deaths, look up the smoldering king. Warning, it is extremely disturbing.
I've always thought death by a disc sander, with salt sprinkled on the wounds when you have to change the sandpaper. Keep them alive as long as you can with IVs, antibiotics... 😲😲😲 I literally cannot imagine anything worse that isn't utterly over complicated.
@@TheFortress have heard stories of it not even being invented until the 19th century. The Iron Maiden as we know it was supposedly an urban myth created by Victorians with nothing better to do....although ill admit i havent looked into weather or not this is a true statement.
So in Scotland beheading was done with a sword in the French way, not with an axe. By 1564 the beheading sword in Edinburgh was worn out and it was decided to build a machine instead. The earl of Morton had seen the gibbet in Halifax an early execution machine and when he returned to Scotland recommend that such a machine was built. This was probably to save money as skilled swordsmen were expensive. Decapitation tended to be for the aristocracy and the educated. Most condemned were simply hanged.
The Halifax ( Yorkshire) was also used in the 1600’s. A replica still stands in Halifax. There is an old 1600’s prayer “ From Hell, Hull & Halifax dear Lord preserve us, how about doing a video on that maiden?
Humans have spent so much time and thought in how to industrialize killing each other. "Taking someone's head off with and ax or a sword is a lot of work. How about a machine to make it easier?" The statement is insane - and I believe capital punishment is justified for certain crimes, if the evidence is unequivocal and not reliant entirely on witnesses who may or may not hzve been "encouraged" to provide a specific story.
Interesting but this method of execution is certainly not the most brutal. It is clean and quick compared to even current methods such as the electric chair.
I don’t get the “maiden” name but it’s not more brutal than anything else. Maybe if the condemned was face up on it and was made to hold something heavy in his hands that, when he finally couldn’t hold it any more, dropping it would trigger the blade drop.
Sounds like a scene in the horror film, ‘Bloodsucking Freaks’ - whereby a young woman is hand-tied in a guillotine and forced to suspend the blade by holding a rope in her mouth. A midget comes along and starts whipping her ass until she can’t take it and lets out a scream. Of course, the blade falls and she’s decapitated.
Dr. Guillotine's blade was shaped like a kitchen utensil - the mezzaluna. Reportedly, it was Louis XVI who suggested the slanted blade. However, there is a gruesome story about what it took to actually execute Louis XVI by guillotine
After beheading they would take the poor victims body and hang it over the Haggis pot!? As others have mentioned the guilotene is probably one of the most humane methods of execution. The French ones were overkill. The Nazis in WW2 had a mini desktop one, which did the same job.
Yeah speaking of SAW a #suggestion -- execution by #TheSaw where condemned was literally sawn in half lengthwise. There are some ancient images found on Google. Did this brutal execution method really happen?
It did. The prophet Isaiah, was said to have been put in a log and sawed in half, like you described. I've heard of a couple other very early examples, but can't remember, off hand.
You can see a Replica of the Halifax Gibbet on the actual site of the original at the bottom of Gibbet st in Halifax west Yorkshire it has a great big block of wood instead of lead to weigh the rather large Axe Head and looks like it would still do the job today!
All these methods tend to curb recidivism . . . works for me. If convicted of murder I don't think the perpetrator's human rights matter all that much. Merely a personal opinion.
I don't see how you can call this supposed the most brutal form of execution I disagree. It is quicker than someone being crucified. I seen movies where people who are crucified owns I right away they die slowly
You clearly are not well versed on physics. Adding a lead weight to the top of the blade does not make the blade fall faster. It merely adds greatly to the inertia Mr. Newton.
I guess that might depend on the friction generated by the rails We're not talking precision machining here...you'd look pretty silly if you pulled the pin and the blade slowly descended and then jammed half-way down
@@terryboland3816 Yes, given air friction and other friction it may somewhat speed it up. But that would be negligible. The primary benefit would, as stated, be increased inertia.
Guillotine story: A lawyer, doctor, and engineer are about to be executed. The lawyer is first and can ask to be face up to face the blade (considered more brave) or face down. He chooses face up. The executioner pulls the handle but the blade fails to fall. Under the policy, the man is spared. Next up was the doctor. Same thing. Face up. Blade didn't fall. He was also spared. Finally, the engineer was put in the device. And again, face up looking at the blade. And the engineer says, "Wait! I think I see what's wrong."
🤣🤣🤣
Lmao!!!
Nice one 😆
Hahaha!
Excellent joke!
As far a s "brutal" goes, this wasn't so bad. I find something like the Oubliette far more disturbing and torturous !
I'm terribly claustrophobic, the thought of the Oubliette makes me sweat and go into anxiety fits. For me that's got to be one of the worst tortures
The wording is to big up the episode to attract viewers!
@@matthewlane518 yeah although I wonder if many escapes happened, to be stuck like that for weeks would be horrific.
@@melvert33 as bad as my claustrophobia is, I'd like to think I would die of a heart attack just thinking about it before it actually happened, just thinking of it in general makes my heart race
RUN TO THE HILLLLLLLLLLLLS...
Run for your life.
The flip sides just as good.
Up the Irons
In comparison with some other methods of inflicting death, this was not brutal at all. Hanging, drawing, and quartering; strangulation; peine forte et dure (used on St. Margaret Clitherow); drowning; being starved to death (used on the Carthusian monks); burning at the stake; and methods used against the early Christians make a quick chop appear merciful.
Youi can add being "impaled" to your list, perhaps the top of it. Look up "Vlad the Impaler" to see what this was all about. Too gruesome to describe here.
There's also boiling in oil, but nothing beats scaphism: being tied in a boat and overfed on milk and honey. The victim would empty their bowels and/or vomit attracting lots of insects to feast on them. Then they laid their eggs (often inside orifices) which then led to being eaten from the inside out. The victim was fed daily to prevent starvation and prolong the agony.
Even a King of England was starved to death - Richard II.
@@LJB103 i always said that was one of the worst. have hear stories of barbarians, (Atilla I think did this) taking the children of their enemies, placing them on the wheel or crucify them and skin them alive in front of the parents...all sorts of hell inflicted on their children only for the entertainment of the barbarians. Native American Indians did very similar to their enemies. They were far more brutal than portrayed in popular culture of the spiritual, peace loving, red man that just wants to live in harmony with nature.....far from it, they were just as war-like and brutal as any other culture throuought history, more so even than some. The Chinese Lingchi (death by 1000 cuts) was also particularly brutal and could be made to last hours, even days.
@@justindearmond1 There is also a variation on burning at the stake that is quite brutal. Tie a person to the stake but put the wood to be burned in a circle around him/her but about 3 feet away. They're not being burned, but baked; and it can take hours of searing pain before they die. (Don't forget to keep feeding the fire.)
The weight on the blade does not make it fall faster, but land with more force. You can ask Galileo to corroborate this.
While the actual experience of the moment of death may be somewhat relatively humane compared to some other ways, the anticipation of beheading on the guillotine is most horrific, I think.
Henry VIII's second wife, Ann Boleyn was not executed by the axe, but by the sword at her request.
Sawing someone in half starting in their crutch whilst they're suspended upside down would be a contender for the most savage. Likewise having a Lion set on them etc. It's horrendous what some poor sods have suffered over the centuries.
Edinburgh history is gruesome, not at all surprised we had the first head chopper, I laughed when you said the blade got blunt. I live there and have been on some tours and learned a lot from my Mum, who was raised near the High Street. Her friends Dad was the caretaker at The Toll Booth where there had been many hangings. The Merkat Cross is one place you didn’t want to be dragged to.
The Halifax gibbet pre-dated the maiden by a couple of centuries
When I was there I saw thumbscrews made for children at I believe the edinburgh dungeon. Brrrrrr 😵💫 I love edinburgh btw. It really made a big impression on me. Definitely going back some day.
@@marcelimthorn9115 so glad you liked it here, many more gruesome things to discover 😅
Lead weights won't affect the speed of the fall. Rather they provide momentum to carry the blade through the neck.
Correct on the momentum. Could it also be that the acceleration of the blade, hence final velocity, would be compromised by light resistance during its descent, something that the greater weight would help to overcome?
This is really interesting, I had no idea the Maiden looked like this. I always thought the Maiden was a coffin thing with spikes in the door, is that also a maiden or is it called something else?
What your thinking of is called the iron maiden , and it does look like a standing " coffin" sometimes they had a face on them.
@@davidcreager1945 I read that the "iron maiden" was a product of the late 1800s, and never actually used. I can't verify the validity.
Wasnt that Margaret Thatcher?
@@stephen227 Although nicknamed the Iron Maiden; Thatcher killed people via her dreadful policies.
@@stephen227 🤣🤣🤣
Please could you do a video which ranks the many execution methods from best to worst?
What was the name of the last executioner to use the Maiden?
The guillotine was an improvement in that it had an angled blade making it more efficient.
Reputedly it was Louis XVI, himself, who suggested this. The original blade looked like a giant kitchen mezzaluna.
The Scottish Maiden..Most interesting!! l was expecting to see The Iron Maiden.Very informative Upload Thank you 🇬🇧🏰
I understand that the Iron Maiden was made up
@@christopherlawley1842 Yes Indeed,l have read that this quite Elaborate form of Torture was never used,,it may have never even been constructed for this purpose..Never the less,lt is Still The stuff of Nightmares 🏴
King to Bill and Ted: "Put them in the Iron Maiden!!!"
Bill and Ted: "Excellent!!"
King: "Execute them!!!!"
Bill and Ted: "Bogus."
ruclips.net/video/6iasuHMvymI/видео.html
“Inside” of Edinburgh what that mean??
Having studied history up to S level i was priviledged to be able to see things in the Tower of London that not many of the general public are allowed to see. I also stayed there when i was an Officer in 42RM.
The most shocking thing is that the guillotine was used up till the 1970s
Since it stopped murders are on the rise as it has been replaced by life-long stay in a 5 star prison
Saudi Arabia uses a sword to behead people still to this day.
Maybe this is where the saying" He lost his head over a maiden " came from.
The Halifax Gibbet was used for executions from 1286 until 1650 when Oliver Cromwell abolished the Gibbet Law. The original blade is on display at Bankfield Museum in Boothtown, Halifax, the museum is only a ten minute walk from The Halifax town hall.
I’d rather have this happen to me , much better than being thrown into a obillitte.... 👍
People should note that History"s most brutal execution method' is the title of the poster's series and not specifically made for this video.
It figures that the Frenchies stole the idea and took all the credit.
In a choice between Maiden/Guillotine or being burned at the stake, I agree with Curly of the Three Stooges and take the latter. He phrased it best: "I'd rather have a hot stake than a cold chop!"
Wasnt there a similar device called the Halifax Gibbet?
Do you mean the one he mentions four times in the video you didn't pay much attention to?
Even the French version of the guillotine could be considered more brutal than the Scotch. The maiden was designed as a quick , efficient death while the guillotine was a gruesome form of street theatre. It was deliberately built way taller than it needed to be to increase the distance it could be seen by its victims and to increase the anticipation before the act was carried out, both before and after the cord was pulled. Everything about the executions of the French revolution were designed to be as theatrical and humiliating as possible.
If you want to talk about brutal and torturous deaths, look up the smoldering king. Warning, it is extremely disturbing.
Maybe being 'maidenless' wasn't such a bad thing after all...
It gives a new meaning to "maidenhead," though.
The main distinction with the French is more how long they used the guillotine, with the last usage in 1978. And MLP wanting to bring it back.
I've always thought death by a disc sander, with salt sprinkled on the wounds when you have to change the sandpaper. Keep them alive as long as you can with IVs, antibiotics... 😲😲😲
I literally cannot imagine anything worse that isn't utterly over complicated.
How can every execution method you talk about be history's most brutal. There can only be one "most", maybe two, if there's a tie for most.
Hallowed be Thy Name.
At first, I thought you were going to describe the Iron Maiden. Do you have a video on that? Seems more brutal than this.
Coming soon…
@@TheFortress have heard stories of it not even being invented until the 19th century. The Iron Maiden as we know it was supposedly an urban myth created by Victorians with nothing better to do....although ill admit i havent looked into weather or not this is a true statement.
The Iron Maiden was more of a mind game for torture and not for executions. They have very scant information regarding it ever actually being used.
It was imported by Douglas of Kilspindie, a cousin of the Earl of Douglas.
How on earth would you know that? Relative?😱🇨🇦
No, just a recorded historical fact.
Humans are undoubtedly among the most savage animals on Earth.
With the possible exception of a house cat, animals will generally only kill for food, self defense, or the right to mate.
Chimps.
Too bad the Tudors didn’t have it …
In France, the guillotine was called the Widow. It's not that brutal: it is quick and probably painless.
Tiisiphone
You speak from experience I take it...???
And terrifying for the person in it.
@@hyena131 Ha ha.
Except when your head falls forward and you land on your nose before dying.
So in Scotland beheading was done with a sword in the French way, not with an axe. By 1564 the beheading sword in Edinburgh was worn out and it was decided to build a machine instead. The earl of Morton had seen the gibbet in Halifax an early execution machine and when he returned to Scotland recommend that such a machine was built. This was probably to save money as skilled swordsmen were expensive. Decapitation tended to be for the aristocracy and the educated. Most condemned were simply hanged.
And also most awesome Heavy Metal band.
most lightweight of all hm bands, not one riff in 40 years, except dum da da dum da da dum
Halifax Gibbet was the first!
Aye lad ; )
Increased weight does not increase speed. It increases force.
The Halifax ( Yorkshire) was also used in the 1600’s. A replica still stands in Halifax. There is an old 1600’s prayer “ From Hell, Hull & Halifax dear Lord preserve us, how about doing a video on that maiden?
Humans have spent so much time and thought in how to industrialize killing each other. "Taking someone's head off with and ax or a sword is a lot of work. How about a machine to make it easier?" The statement is insane - and I believe capital punishment is justified for certain crimes, if the evidence is unequivocal and not reliant entirely on witnesses who may or may not hzve been "encouraged" to provide a specific story.
Interesting but this method of execution is certainly not the most brutal. It is clean and quick compared to even current methods such as the electric chair.
Probably even more humane than lethal injection.
Should be used every day for criminals
Some say that when executed by guillotine that the eye's of the victim continue to move and blink after they have been decapitated. 🤔
Makes sense since it takes a moment for the lack of blood to the brain to make you unconscious
I don’t get the “maiden” name but it’s not more brutal than anything else. Maybe if the condemned was face up on it and was made to hold something heavy in his hands that, when he finally couldn’t hold it any more, dropping it would trigger the blade drop.
Youve a flair for this ; )
Sounds like a scene in the horror film, ‘Bloodsucking Freaks’ - whereby a young woman is hand-tied in a guillotine and forced to suspend the blade by holding a rope in her mouth. A midget comes along and starts whipping her ass until she can’t take it and lets out a scream. Of course, the blade falls and she’s decapitated.
Lets see a return to these practices.
Not brutal, but humane
Compared what, apart, from the already, mentioned, burning at the stake?????
Obliette is king of torture ..imo
The name of the guy who improved the guillotine(slanted blade) was… you guessed it: Guillotin
Dr. Guillotine's blade was shaped like a kitchen utensil - the mezzaluna. Reportedly, it was Louis XVI who suggested the slanted blade. However, there is a gruesome story about what it took to actually execute Louis XVI by guillotine
After beheading they would take the poor victims body and hang it over the Haggis pot!?
As others have mentioned the guilotene is probably one of the most humane methods of execution. The French ones were overkill. The Nazis in WW2 had a mini desktop one, which did the same job.
Yeah speaking of SAW a #suggestion -- execution by #TheSaw where condemned was literally sawn in half lengthwise. There are some ancient images found on Google. Did this brutal execution method really happen?
It did. The prophet Isaiah, was said to have been put in a log and sawed in half, like you described. I've heard of a couple other very early examples, but can't remember, off hand.
You sound much like historian Dr Mark Felton, not a bad thing.
no
Is this more brutal than crucifixion?
@SalNova15 That's what I thought. Crucifixion has to be the worst.
@SalNova15 Already have. That's why I think it is the worst. Thanks anyway.
Have Maiden, will travel.
I thought it was invented by the French, thanks for the info...
You can see a Replica of the Halifax Gibbet on the actual site of the original at the bottom of Gibbet st in Halifax west Yorkshire it has a great big block of wood instead of lead to weigh the rather large Axe Head and looks like it would still do the job today!
Why is it considered a brutal method of execution? Considering the other choices I would think it's rather humane.
Way back in the day they stuck vines through your biceps, tied you up with it and threw you in a bog
All these methods tend to curb recidivism . . . works for me. If convicted of murder I don't think the perpetrator's human rights matter all that much. Merely a personal opinion.
You're either assuming flawless prosecution, or perhaps are willing to accept a percentage of innocent executions... including perhaps your own?
@@KutWrite Yes and . . . ?
@@BrianWMay If you include yourself among possibly wrongful execution victims, at least you're fair about it.
Not BRUTAL - au contraire, one of the fastest and painless methods. Brutal would be those with prolonged pain - take the brazen bull, for example...
A skilled carpenter built this maiden , well I've built better billy carts when 12 yrs old ,so much for carpenters
I’m glade I don’t live in those times
Go July 14 go
The death penalty is never, ever acceptable.
What a stupid title it wasnt brutal at all to use the guillotine
Hmm need time travel for script writers of movie seris ...SAW
The iron maiden was much much worse.
The iron maiden wasn't around in those days It's a 18th century fake
I don't see how you can call this supposed the most brutal form of execution I disagree. It is quicker than someone being crucified. I seen movies where people who are crucified owns I right away they die slowly
You clearly are not well versed on physics. Adding a lead weight to the top of the blade does not make the blade fall faster. It merely adds greatly to the inertia Mr. Newton.
Seems you learned your physics in a vacuum Mr Martin ....
Momentum, not inertia.
I guess that might depend on the friction generated by the rails
We're not talking precision machining here...you'd look pretty silly if you pulled the pin and the blade slowly descended and then jammed half-way down
@@terryboland3816 Yes, given air friction and other friction it may somewhat speed it up. But that would be negligible. The primary benefit would, as stated, be increased inertia.
@@rogerbarton497 Inertia is a perfectly correct term. It means the motion, or lack of motion, of an object tending to remain unchanged.