This Polish Prince Was a Staunch Ally of Napoleon Bonaparte nationalinterest.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalinterest.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
5 types of corporal punishment in Old Russia Banned long ago, these barbarous ways of punishing criminals tell a lot about the harsh Russian past.
1. Human branding
The tool used for human branding, Early 19th centuryDemidov Family Museum
This ancient type of marking criminals is first mentioned in 1398 in a Moscow law that ordered to brand convicted thieves. In 1637, branding was installed as a punishment for coin counterfeiting.
The branding was performed by pressing a red-hot metal brand on the cheeks and forehead of the criminal to mark him with letters. ВОРЪ (“thief”) was usually burnt onto the convict’s face. Single letters В (for вор, “thief”) and Б (for бунтовщик, “rioteer”) were also used for lesser offenses. Peter I installed a new form of branding, using plates with sharp needles in the form of letters – gunpowder was rubbed into the holes left by the needles to make the brand stay there for life. Since 1746, branding