Impalement is an act of
torture or execution whereby the victim is pierced by a long stake, through the sides, or even from rectum through the mouth. The stake would be usually planted in the ground, leaving the victim hanging to die from blood loss. Medieval tyrants like
Vlad Drakul and
Ivan the Terrible were quite fond of dispatching undesirables in this way. It was also used as a systematic way of executing prisoners immediately after a battle. Impalement is considered a very cruel and painful death.