Misc: Medieval Torture and Executions

Belibtreu, E. (1991, February). Grisly Assyrian Record of Torture and Death. University of Massachusetts Lowell. Retrieved October 8, 2025, from https://faculty.uml.edu/ethan_spanier/teaching/documents/cp6.0assyriantorture.pdf Botsman, D. V. (2013). Punishment and Power in the Making of Modern Japan. Princeton University Press.

Burke, S. H. (1870). The Men and Women of the English Reformation. Washbourne Printer. https://books.google.com/books?id=b58HAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA240#v=onepage&q=Boil&f=false 

Callot, J. (2019, February 7). 20 Of The Slowest Historical Torture Methods We Can't Believe Living Souls Had to Endure. History Collection. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://historycollection.com/20-of-the-slowest-historical-torture-methods-we-cant-believe-living-souls-had-to-endure/16/

Dash, M. (2013, March 18). The Vengeance of Ivarr the Boneless | Smithsonian. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-vengeance-of-ivarr-the-boneless-4002654/

Dowling, M. B. (2001). Vestal Virgins: Chaste Keepers of the Flame. Archaeology Odyssey, 4(1). https://www.baslibrary.org/archaeology-odyssey/4/1/14

Exploring Castles Blog. (2024). The Castle Dungeon and the Oubliette: The Truth About These Medieval Prisons. Exploring Castles. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://www.exploring-castles.com/castle_designs/castle_dungeon/

Flaying. (n.d.). Flaying - Wikipedia. Retrieved October 8, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaying

Flaying not a common practice in Middle Ages, says new book by Longwood medieval expert. (2017, March 1). Longwood University. Retrieved October 8, 2025, from https://www.longwood.edu/news/2017/flaying-not-a-common-practice-in-middle-ages/

Grabianowski, E., & Freeman, S. (2024, May 17). 10 Medieval Torture Devices | HowStuffWorks. History | HowStuffWorks. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://history.howstuffworks.com/10-medieval-torture-devices.htm

Hampshire Chronicle Associated Press. (1782, September 2). Home News. Free Pages. https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~dutillieul/genealogy/ZOtherPapers/HCSep21782.html

Harvey, A. (2022, October 6). Inside The Disturbing History of Flaying, The Centuries Old Practice of Skinning People Alive. All That's Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/flaying

Harvey, A. (2023, April 13). Was The Breaking Wheel The Most Gruesome Execution Device In History? All That's Interesting. Retrieved October 8, 2025, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/breaking-wheel 

Ignitedpk. (2000). 10 Ancient Brutal Tortures You Don't Even Want to Imagine. Paper Blog. https://en.paperblog.com/10-ancient-brutal-tortures-you-don-t-even-want-to-imagine-1507565/

Infographics. (2021, May 23). Swedish Drink - Worst Punishments in the History of Mankind. YouTube. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdKctD93xAc

Jones, B. (2025, May 20). Experts reveal 'truth' behind horrific device thought to be 'most painful torture method' of all time. LADbible. Retrieved October 7, 2025, from https://www.ladbible.com/community/weird/truth-brazen-bull-torture-method-real-or-fake-066549-20250520

Kaonga, G. (2024, May 5). Simulation Shows Ancient Greek Execution Method that is 'The Worst Way to Die'. Unilad. https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/brazen-bull-simulation-greek-execution-method-worst-way-die-469971-20240415

Kesselring, K. J. (2001). A Draft of the 1531 'Acte for Poysoning'. The English Historical Review, 116(468), 894-899. JSTOR. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621063103/https://www.jstor.org/stable/579196?seq=1 

Knowledge Nuts Organization. (2022). The Disgusting Swedish Torture Drink. KnowledgeNuts. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://knowledgenuts.com/swedish-torture-drink/

Little, B. (2023, June 16). 7 Famous Torture Devices, Real and Mythical. History. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://www.history.com/news/7-famous-torture-devices-medieval-iron

Sparrow, K. L. (2024, June 20). The Oubliette: A Torture of Unspeakable Horror. Owlcation. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://owlcation.com/humanities/Oubliette-French-Torture-Halloween 

Margaritoff, M. (2020, November 27). 10 Medieval Execution Methods That Are The Definition Of Cruel And Unusual. 10 Medieval Execution Methods That Define Cruel And Unusual. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/medieval-execution-methods/7

Margaritoff, M. (2024, February 26). The Horrifying History Of Scaphism, The Excruciating Execution Method Of Ancient Persia. All that's interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/scaphism

Mazzarelli BSc, D., Gibelli MD, PhD, D., Mattia, MA, M., Bertoglio MSc, PhD, B., Sguazza, MA, PhD, E., Fedeli, MA, A. M., & Cattaneo, MD, PhD, C. (2019, august 1). First Signs of Torture in Italy: A probable case of execution by the wheel on a skeleton from 13th century Milano. Journal of Archaeological Science, 109(104990). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2019.104990.

Milne, A. (2024, March 6). The Brazen Bull May Have Been History's Worst Torture Device. All That's Interesting. Retrieved October 7, 2025, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/brazen-bull 

Mittermeyer, H. (1883, July 13). The Newcastle Weekly Courant. Newspapers. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-newcastle-weekly-courant-modes-of-ex/143383547/

National Geographic Education. (2023, October 19). Assyrian Empire. National Geographic Education. Retrieved October 8, 2025, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/assyrian-empire/

Roos, D., & Konstantinovsky, M. (2024, June 7). The 'Hanged, Drawn and Quartered' Execution Was Even Worse than You Think. History | HowStuffWorks. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/hanging-drawing-and-quartering.htm

Sheldon, N. (2017, Novemeber 15). 12 Torturous Methods of Execution in History that Will Make You Squirm. History Collection. https://historycollection.com/12-torturous-methods-execution-history/

Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. (2024). Death by boiling. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_boiling#Asia