What do you think were the worst tortures during the Middle Ages? Lack of toothpaste good soap or shampoo? The fact that medieval discos were held to the tedious music of mandolins? Or maybe the fact that medicine did not yet know vaccinations and antibiotics? Or endless wars?
Yes, our ancestors didn't go to movie theaters or send emails to each other. But they were also inventors. And the worst thing they invented was instruments for torture, instruments with the help of which the system of Christian justice was created - the Inquisition. And for those who lived in the Middle Ages, Iron Maiden is not the name of a heavy metal band, but one of the most disgusting gadgets of that time.
This is not “three girls under the window.” This is a huge sarcophagus in the form of an open, empty female figure, inside of which numerous blades and sharp spikes are reinforced. They are located in such a way that the vital organs of the victim imprisoned in the sarcophagus are not affected, so the agony of the person sentenced to execution was long and painful. The "Virgin" was first used in 1515. The condemned man died for three days.
This device was inserted into the openings of the body - it is clear that not into the mouth or ears - and opened so as to cause unimaginable pain to the victim, tearing these openings.
This torture was developed in Athens, Greece. This was a bull shape made of metal (brass) and hollow inside, with a door on the side. The convict was placed inside the “bull”. The fire was lit and heated to the point where the brass turned yellow, eventually causing it to slowly brown. The bull was designed in such a way that when screaming and screaming from inside, you could hear the roar of a mad bull.
Torture by rats was very popular in ancient China. However, we will look at the rat punishment technique developed by 16th century Dutch Revolution leader Diedrick Sonoy.
How it works?
- The stripped naked martyr is placed on a table and tied;
- Large, heavy cages containing hungry rats are placed on the prisoner's stomach and chest. The bottom of the cells is opened using a special valve;
- Hot coals are placed on top of the cages to stir up the rats;
- In an attempt to escape the heat of the hot coals, rats chew their way through the flesh of the victim.
The know-how belongs to Hippolyte Marsili. At one time, this instrument of torture was considered loyal - it did not break bones or tear ligaments. First, the sinner was lifted on a rope, and then sat on the Cradle, and the top of the triangle was inserted into the same holes as the Pear. It hurt to such an extent that the sinner lost consciousness. He was lifted, “pumped out” and put back on the Cradle. I don’t think that in moments of enlightenment the sinners thanked Hippolytus for his invention.
For several centuries, this execution was practiced in India and Indochina. An elephant is very easy to train and teaching it to trample a guilty victim with its huge feet is a matter of just a few days.
How it works?
- The victim is tied to the floor;
- A trained elephant is brought into the hall to crush the martyr's head;
- Sometimes, before the “head test,” animals crush the victims’ arms and legs in order to amuse the audience.
This device is an oblong rectangle with a wooden frame. The hands were firmly fixed below and above. As the interrogation/torture proceeded, the executioner turned the lever, with each turn the person was stretched and hellish pain set in. Usually, upon completion of the torture, the person either simply died from pain shock, because that’s all his joints were pulled out.
The Chinese Communist Party uses the “dead man’s bed” torture mainly on those prisoners who try to protest against illegal imprisonment through a hunger strike. In most cases, these are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned for their beliefs.
How it works?
- The arms and legs of a stripped prisoner are tied to the corners of the bed, which instead of a mattress wooden plank with a hole cut out. A bucket for excrement is placed under the hole. Often, a person’s body is tied tightly to the bed with ropes so that he cannot move at all. A person remains in this position continuously for several days to weeks.
- In some prisons, such as Shenyang City No. 2 Prison and Jilin City Prison, police also place a hard object under the victim's back to intensify the suffering.
- It also happens that the bed is placed vertically and the person hangs for 3-4 days, stretched out by his limbs.
- Added to this torment is force-feeding, which is carried out using a tube inserted through the nose into the esophagus, into which liquid food is poured.
- This procedure is performed mainly by prisoners on the orders of the guards, and not by medical workers. They do this very rudely and unprofessionally, often causing serious damage to a person’s internal organs.
- Those who have gone through this torture say that it causes displacement of the vertebrae, joints of the arms and legs, as well as numbness and blackening of the limbs, which often leads to disability.
One of the medieval tortures used in modern Chinese prisons is the wearing of a wooden collar. It is placed on a prisoner, causing him to be unable to walk or stand normally.
The clamp is a board from 50 to 80 cm in length, from 30 to 50 cm in width and 10 – 15 cm in thickness. In the middle of the clamp there are two holes for the legs.
The victim, who is wearing a collar, has difficulty moving, must crawl into bed and usually must sit or lie down, as the upright position causes pain and leads to injury to the legs. Without outside help a person with a collar cannot go to eat or go to the toilet. When a person gets out of bed, the collar not only puts pressure on the legs and heels, causing pain, but its edge clings to the bed and prevents the person from returning to it. At night the prisoner is unable to turn around, and in winter time a short blanket does not cover your legs.
An even worse form of this torture is called “crawling with a wooden clamp.” The guards put a collar on the man and order him to crawl around concrete floor. If he stops, he is hit on the back with a police baton. An hour later, his fingers, toenails and knees are bleeding profusely, while his back is covered in wounds from the blows.
A terrible, savage execution that came from the East.
The essence of this execution was that a person was laid on his stomach, one sat on him to prevent him from moving, the other held him by the neck. A stake was inserted into the person's anus, which was then driven in with a mallet; then they drove a stake into the ground. The weight of the body forced the stake to go deeper and deeper and finally it came out under the armpit or between the ribs.
They sat a man in a very cold room, tied him so that he could not move his head, and in complete darkness they very slowly dripped water onto his forehead. cold water. After a few days the person froze or went crazy.
This instrument of torture was widely used by the executioners of the Spanish Inquisition and was a chair made of iron, on which the prisoner was seated, and his legs were placed in stocks attached to the legs of the chair. When he found himself in such a completely helpless position, a brazier was placed under his feet; with hot coals, so that the legs began to slowly fry, and in order to prolong the suffering of the poor fellow, the legs were poured with oil from time to time.
Another version of the Spanish chair was often used, which was a metal throne to which the victim was tied and a fire was lit under the seat, roasting the buttocks. The famous poisoner La Voisin was tortured on such a chair during the famous Poisoning Case in France.
Torture of Saint Lawrence on the gridiron.
This type of torture is often mentioned in the lives of saints - real and fictitious, but there is no evidence that the gridiron “survived” until the Middle Ages and had even a small circulation in Europe. It is usually described as ordinary metal grill 6 feet long and two and a half feet wide, mounted horizontally on legs to allow a fire to be built underneath. Sometimes the gridiron was made in the form of a rack in order to be able to resort to combined torture.
Saint Lawrence was martyred on a similar grid.
This torture was used very rarely. Firstly, it was quite easy to kill the person being interrogated, and secondly, there were a lot of simpler, but no less cruel tortures.
In ancient times, a pectoral was a female breast decoration in the form of a pair of carved gold or silver bowls, often sprinkled with precious stones. It was worn like a modern bra and secured with chains. In a mocking analogy with this decoration, the savage instrument of torture used by the Venetian Inquisition was named.
In 1985, the pectoral was heated red-hot and, taking it with tongs, they put it on the tortured woman’s chest and held it until she confessed. If the accused persisted, the executioners heated up the pectoral again cooled by the living body and continued the interrogation.
Very often, after this barbaric torture, charred, torn holes were left in place of the woman’s breasts.
This seemingly harmless effect was a terrible torture. With prolonged tickling, a person's nerve conduction increased so much that even the lightest touch initially caused twitching, laughter, and then turned into terrible pain. If such torture was continued for quite a long time, then after a while spasms of the respiratory muscles occurred and, in the end, the tortured person died from suffocation.
At the most simple version torture: sensitive areas were tickled by the interrogated, either simply with their hands, or with hair brushes or brushes. Stiff bird feathers were popular. Usually they tickled under the armpits, heels, nipples, inguinal folds, genitals, and women also under the breasts.
In addition, torture was often carried out using animals that licked some tasty substance from the heels of the interrogated person. The goat was very often used, since its very hard tongue, adapted for eating grass, caused very strong irritation.
There was also a type of tickling torture using a beetle, most common in India. With her little bug They placed it on the head of a man’s penis or on a woman’s nipple and covered it with half a nut shell. After some time, the tickling caused by the movement of insect legs on a living body became so unbearable that the interrogated person confessed to anything...
These tubular metal crocodile pliers were red-hot and used to tear the penis of the person being tortured. First, with a few caressing movements (often made by women), or with a tight bandage, a persistent, hard erection was achieved and then the torture began
These serrated iron tongs were used to slowly crush the testicles of the interrogated person. Something similar was widely used in Stalinist and fascist prisons.
Actually, this is not torture, but an African ritual, but, in my opinion, it is very cruel. Girls aged 3-6 years old simply had their external genitalia scraped out without anesthesia. Thus, the girl did not lose the ability to have children, but was forever deprived of the opportunity to experience sexual desire and pleasure. This ritual is done “for the benefit” of women, so that they will never be tempted to cheat on their husbands...
Part of an image engraved on the Stora Hammers stone. The illustration shows a man lying on his stomach, with an executor standing over him, ripping open the man’s back with an unusual weapon.
One of the most ancient tortures, during which the victim was tied face down and his back was opened, his ribs were broken off at the spine and spread apart like wings. Scandinavian legends claim that during such an execution, the wounds of the victim were sprinkled with salt.
Many historians claim that this torture was used by pagans against Christians, others are sure that spouses caught in treason were punished in this way, and still others claim that the bloody eagle is just a terrible legend.
In order to the best way to carry out the procedure of this torture, the accused was placed on one of the types of racks or on a special big table with a rising middle part. After the victim's arms and legs were tied to the edges of the table, the executioner began work in one of several ways. One of these methods involved forcing the victim, using a funnel, to swallow a large number of water, then they hit the swollen and arched belly. Another form involved placing a cloth tube down the victim's throat through which water was slowly poured, causing the victim to swell and suffocate.
If this was not enough, the tube was pulled out, causing internal damage, and then inserted again and the process repeated. Sometimes cold water torture was used. In this case, the accused lay naked on the table for hours under the spray. ice water. It is interesting to note that this type of torture was considered light, and the court accepted confessions obtained in this way as voluntary and given by the defendant without the use of torture. Most often, these tortures were used by the Spanish Inquisition in order to extract confessions from heretics and witches.
Nowadays, no one will be surprised by the statement “I am an atheist” or “You are a witch!” But in the Middle Ages, even the thought of uttering such words was punishable and punishable. For example, a person could easily be “invited” to the Judas Cradle execution.
What do we know about It is known for certain that in those days beautiful girls more often than they should have (it’s hard to agree with this) they were accused of connections with dark forces and called witches. At times, a terrible price had to be paid for an attractive appearance: a representative of the fair sex, falsely, intentionally, or for any reason accused of witchcraft, was sentenced to torture called the “Ordeal by Water.” A weight was tied to her feet and thrown into a pond. If she swam out, it means she’s innocent. It's hard to find logic here.
In addition to this type of torture, wheeling, “Vigil” or “Cradle of Judas” were widely used. The invention of the latter belongs to Hippolyte Marsili. It was thanks to him that the Inquisitorial horrors became more humane (so to speak): no broken bones and insides turned inside out. The Cradle of Judas, a photo of which can be seen in this article, became a turning point in medieval methods of gaining recognition. It was after the creation of this know-how that the inquisitors began to use tools that did not cause bodily harm. Vivid and deep pain, mixed with shame from the naked state, was, according to the medieval church, only a method to tickle the nerves and achieve recognition. "Judas' Cradle" is a torture that could knock out the crazy incoherent statements so necessary for the executioners, even from the most honest and righteous person.
What is the meaning of this punishment?
The naked heretic (according to representatives of the Inquisition) was shackled in a steel belt, which was secured with a system of ropes and blocks. It was then suspended over the tip of a specially made pyramid so that the victim's anus was above the very peak of the metal monster. While the man was conscious, he was unharmed, but as soon as he closed his eyes for a second, the sharp spear of the pyramid penetrated inside and caused unbearable pain. This was the Cradle of Judas. In another way - “Vigil”. If the victim lost consciousness (and this happened quite often), then the torture was postponed for some time.
Of course, there were other types of torture. Quartering, stake, saw, interrogation chair, Iron Maiden. The latter also had the names “Iron Maiden” and “Maiden of Nuremberg”. The three names that the last method of torture bore are symbolic: the victim who was sentenced to this torture died for three days. Meaning this method as follows: an unfortunate person was placed in a sarcophagus shaped like a female figure. At the same time, spikes and blades were placed inside this box, but in such a way that none of the heretic’s vital organs were damaged. It is because of the sophistication of this weapon The agony of the condemned lasted a long time and was very painful.
There was also a torture called the "Cradle", which is considered to be the sister of the inquisitorial weapon "Judas' Cradle". However, it is the latter that is one of the most sophisticated and cruel methods of torture.
The history of mankind knows many examples of cruelty, a separate page is devoted to medieval torture. Looking through materials on this topic, every now and then you wonder how such a thing could have been invented and what kind of sick imagination you had to have. Compared to torture in Middle Ages, any modern maniac-killer nervously smokes on the sidelines. And now we will try to convince you of this.
Torture by rats
Initially, this torture was widely used in Ancient China . But the idea of torturing people with rats also came to the mind of the leader of the Dutch revolution Dedrick Sonoya.
What's happened:
The victim was stripped naked and tied to a flat surface
A cage with hungry rats was placed on his stomach and tightly fixed.
Then burning coals were poured onto the top of the cage.
Frightened rats try to escape by gnawing their way to freedom through the body of the victim.
(There was another ending: hungry rats were simply left on a person’s body until they began to satisfy their hunger by eating living flesh, thereby bringing long and terrible suffering).
"Pear"
A special device consisting of pointed and curved metal plates was used in the Middle Ages in Europe to punish blasphemers, deceivers, women who gave birth out of wedlock, and men of non-traditional sexual orientation. Although at first glance “Pear” is not at all associated with horror, this impression is wrong...
What's happened
The victim was completely undressed, and the “pear” was inserted into the mouth, vagina or anus.
The torturer slowly turns the screw - the metal plates open, thereby gradually tearing the person's flesh. After which he dies from internal injuries.
Cradle of Judas
This medieval torture was also called “Vigil” or “Guarding the Cradle”
This was one of the most favored tortures of the Spanish Inquisition, but was also used in other countries.
What's happened:
The accused was seated on a pointed wooden or metal pyramid such that the tip stuck into the vagina or anus.
With the help of ropes or stones suspended from the feet, the victim was “lowered” down.
The torture continued until the person died (from several hours to several days).
Spanish Donkey ("Chair of the Jews")
This torture is very similar to the previous one, with the only difference being that the victim was not seated on a pyramid, but on a wedge-shaped device that rested on the person’s crotch. Often additional weights were gradually suspended from the legs.
Bamboo torture
It is believed that this torture was often used in China. There is even evidence that it was used in Japan during World War II.
What's happened.
Bamboo shoots were sharpened, thereby forming a kind of “stakes” (It should be mentioned here that this plant can grow about one meter high in just one day).
A person was suspended above them, through whom bamboo shoots grew, thereby causing unbearable, prolonged pain.
Wheeling
this medieval torture has been known since the times Ancient Rome, for a long time it was used by executioners from Germany, France, Russia and other countries.
What's happened:
First, all the large bones of the body were broken using a hammer or a special wheel.
After this, he was tied to a large wheel, which was placed on a pole and left to die. Often the suffering continued for several days.
Gridiron
This is a special grill for torture by fire. A kind of brazier, which is described as an ordinary grate on legs.
What's happened:
The victim was tied to the gridiron.
Burning coals were placed under it. The victim was “roasted” alive.
Insect torture
Exist different variations types of torture and executions using insects. One of the most terrible and cruel was the following...
What's happened:
The victim was placed in a special wooden barrel so that only the head remains outside.
His face was smeared with honey, which attracted various insects.
In addition to all this, he was fed intensively, because of this, after a while the victim “swimmed in his feces. What attracted insects even more, which laid larvae in the body of the victim.
A few days later, larvae emerged from the bites and began to eat the flesh of a still living person...
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Inquisition(from lat. inquisitio- investigation, search), in catholic church special church court on cases of heretics, which existed in the 13th-19th centuries. Back in 1184, Pope Lucius III and Emperor Frederick 1 Barbarossa established a strict procedure for the search by bishops of heretics and the investigation of their cases by episcopal courts. Secular authorities were obliged to carry out the death sentences they passed. The Inquisition as an institution was first discussed at the 4th Lateran Council (1215), convened by Pope Innocent III, which established a special process for the persecution of heretics (per inquisitionem), for which defamatory rumors were declared sufficient grounds. From 1231 to 1235, Pope Gregory IX, through a series of decrees, transferred the functions of persecuting heresies, previously performed by bishops, to special commissioners - inquisitors (initially appointed from among the Dominicans, and then the Franciscans). In a number of European states (Germany, France, etc.) inquisitorial tribunals were established, which were entrusted with investigating cases of heretics, pronouncing and executing sentences. This is how the establishment of the Inquisition was formalized. Members of the inquisitorial tribunals had personal immunity and immunity from the jurisdiction of local secular and ecclesiastical authorities and were directly dependent on the pope. Due to the secret and arbitrary proceedings, those accused by the Inquisition were deprived of all guarantees. Wide Application brutal torture, encouragement and reward of informers, the material interest of the Inquisition itself and the papacy, which received huge funds through the confiscation of the property of the convicted, made the Inquisition the scourge of Catholic countries. Those sentenced to death were usually handed over to the secular authorities to be burned at the stake (see Auto-da-fe). In the 16th century I. became one of the main weapons of the Counter-Reformation. In 1542, a supreme inquisitorial tribunal was established in Rome. Many outstanding scientists and thinkers (G. Bruno, G. Vanini, etc.) became victims of the Inquisition. The Inquisition was especially rampant in Spain (where from the end of the 15th century it was closely connected with royal power). In just 18 years of activity of the main Spanish inquisitor Torquemada (15th century), more than 10 thousand people were burned alive.
The tortures of the Inquisition were very varied. The cruelty and ingenuity of the inquisitors amazes the imagination. Some medieval instruments of torture have survived to this day, but most often even museum exhibits have been restored according to descriptions. We present to your attention a description of some famous instruments of torture.
The "interrogation chair" was used in Central Europe. In Nuremberg and Fegensburg, until 1846, preliminary investigations using it were regularly carried out. The naked prisoner was seated on a chair in such a position that at the slightest movement, spikes pierced his skin. Executioners often intensified the agony of the victim by lighting a fire under the seat. The iron chair quickly became hot, causing severe burns. During interrogation, the victim's limbs could be pierced using forceps or other instruments of torture. Similar chairs had various shapes and sizes, but all of them were equipped with spikes and means of immobilizing the victim.
rack-bed
This is one of the most common instruments of torture found in historical accounts. The rack was used throughout Europe. Usually this tool was a large table with or without legs, on which the convict was forced to lie down, and his legs and arms were fixed with wooden blocks. Thus immobilized, the victim was "stretched", causing him unbearable pain, often until the muscles were torn. The rotating drum for tensioning the chains was not used in all versions of the rack, but only in the most ingenious “modernized” models. The executioner could cut into the victim's muscles to speed up the final rupture of the tissue. The victim's body stretched more than 30 cm before exploding. Sometimes the victim was tied tightly to the rack to make it easier to use other methods of torture, such as pincers for pinching nipples and other sensitive parts of the body, cauterization with a hot iron, etc.
This is by far the most common torture and was initially often used in legal proceedings because it was considered easy option torture. The defendant's hands were tied behind his back, and the other end of the rope was thrown over the winch ring. The victim was either left in this position or the rope was pulled strongly and continuously. Often, additional weights were tied to the victim's notes, and the body was torn with tongs, such as a "witch spider", to make the torture less gentle. The judges thought that witches knew many ways of witchcraft, which allowed them to calmly endure torture, so it was not always possible to obtain a confession. We can refer to a series of trials in Munich at the beginning of the 17th century involving eleven people. Six of them were constantly tortured with an iron boot, one of the women had her chest dismembered, the next five were wheeled, and one was impaled. They, in turn, reported on another twenty-one people, who were immediately interrogated in Tetenwang. Among the new accused was one very respectable family. The father died in prison, the mother, after being tried on the rack eleven times, confessed to everything she was accused of. The daughter, Agnes, twenty-one years old, stoically endured the ordeal on the rack with additional weight, but did not admit her guilt, and only said that she forgave her executioners and accusers. It was only after several days of continuous ordeal in the torture chamber that she was told of her mother's full confession. After attempting suicide, she confessed to all the terrible crimes, including cohabiting with the Devil from the age of eight, devouring the hearts of thirty people, participating in the Sabbath, causing a storm and denying the Lord. Mother and daughter were sentenced to be burned at the stake.
The use of the term "stork" is attributed to the Roman Court Holy Inquisition in the period from the second half of the 16th century. until about 1650. The same name was given to this instrument of torture by L.A. Muratori in his book “Italian Chronicles” (1749). The origin of the even stranger name "The Janitor's Daughter" is unknown, but it is given by analogy with the name of an identical device in the Tower of London. Whatever the origin of the name, this weapon is a magnificent example of the vast variety of coercive systems that were used during the Inquisition.
The victim's position was carefully thought out. Within a few minutes, this body position led to severe muscle spasms in the abdomen and anus. Then the spasm began to spread to the chest, neck, arms and legs, becoming more and more painful, especially at the site of the initial occurrence of the spasm. After some time, the one attached to the “Stork” passed from a simple experience of torment to a state of complete madness. Often, while the victim was tormented in this terrible position, he was additionally tortured with a hot iron and other means. The iron bonds cut into the victim's flesh and caused gangrene and sometimes death.
The "chair of the Inquisition", known as the "witch's chair", was highly valued as good remedy against silent women accused of witchcraft. This common instrument was especially widely used by the Austrian Inquisition. The chairs were of various sizes and shapes, all equipped with spikes, with handcuffs, blocks for restraining the victim and, most often, with iron seats that could be heated if necessary. We found evidence of the use of this weapon for slow killing. In 1693, in the Austrian city of Gutenberg, Judge Wolf von Lampertisch led the trial of Maria Vukinetz, 57 years old, on charges of witchcraft. She was placed on the witch's chair for eleven days and nights, while the executioners burned her legs with a red-hot iron (insleplaster). Maria Vukinetz died under torture, going crazy from pain, but not confessing to the crime.
According to the inventor, Ippolito Marsili, the introduction of the Vigil marked a turning point in the history of torture. Modern system obtaining a confession does not involve causing bodily harm. There are no broken vertebrae, twisted ankles, or shattered joints; the only substance that suffers is the victim's nerves. The idea of the torture was to keep the victim awake for as long as possible, a kind of insomnia torture. But the Vigil, which was not initially viewed as cruel torture, took various, sometimes extremely cruel, forms.
The victim was raised to the top of the pyramid and then gradually lowered. The top of the pyramid was supposed to penetrate the area of the anus, testicles or coccyx, and if a woman was tortured, then the vagina. The pain was so severe that the accused often lost consciousness. If this happened, the procedure was delayed until the victim woke up. In Germany, “vigil torture” was called “cradle guarding.”
This torture is very similar to the “vigil torture.” The difference is that the main element of the device is a pointed wedge-shaped corner made of metal or hardwood. The interrogated person was suspended over a sharp corner, so that this corner rested on the crotch. A variation of the use of the “donkey” is to tie a weight to the legs of the interrogated person, tied and fixed at a sharp angle.
A simplified form of the “Spanish Donkey” can be considered a stretched rigid rope or a metal cable called a “Mare”, more often this type of weapon is used on women. The rope stretched between the legs is lifted as high as possible and the genitals are rubbed until they bleed. The rope type of torture is quite effective as it is applied to the most sensitive parts of the body.
brazier
In the past, there was no Amnesty International association, no one intervened in the affairs of justice and did not protect those who fell into its clutches. The executioners were free to choose whatever they wanted from their point of view. suitable remedy to get confessions. They often also used a brazier. The victim was tied to bars and then "roasted" until genuine repentance and confession were obtained, which led to the discovery of more criminals. And the cycle continued.
In order to best carry out the procedure of this torture, the accused was placed on one of the types of racks or on a special large table with a rising middle part. After the victim's arms and legs were tied to the edges of the table, the executioner began work in one of several ways. One of these methods involved forcing the victim to swallow a large amount of water using a funnel, then hitting the distended and arched abdomen. Another form involved placing a cloth tube down the victim's throat through which water was slowly poured, causing the victim to swell and suffocate. If this was not enough, the tube was pulled out, causing internal damage, and then inserted again, and the process was repeated. Sometimes cold water torture was used. In this case, the accused lay naked on a table under a stream of ice water for hours. It is interesting to note that this type of torture was considered light, and confessions obtained in this way were accepted by the court as voluntary and given by the defendant without the use of torture.
The idea of mechanizing torture was born in Germany and nothing can be done about the fact that the Maid of Nuremberg has such origins. She got her name because of her resemblance to a Bavarian girl, and also because her prototype was created and first used in the dungeon of the secret court in Nuremberg. The accused was placed in a sarcophagus, where the body of the unfortunate man was pierced with sharp spikes, located so that none of the vital organs were affected, and the agony lasted for quite a long time. The first case of legal proceedings using the "Maiden" dates back to 1515. It was described in detail by Gustav Freytag in his book "bilder aus der deutschen vergangenheit". Punishment befell the perpetrator of the forgery, who suffered inside the sarcophagus for three days.
Wheeling
A person sentenced to be wheeled was broken with an iron crowbar or wheel, all the large bones of his body were then tied to a large wheel, and the wheel was placed on a pole. The condemned person found himself face up, looking at the sky, and died this way from shock and dehydration, often for quite a long time. The suffering of the dying man was aggravated by the birds pecking at him. Sometimes instead of a wheel they simply used wooden frame or a cross made of logs.
Vertically mounted wheels were also used for wheeling.
Wheeling is a very popular system of both torture and execution. It was used only when accused of witchcraft. Typically the procedure was divided into two phases, both of which were quite painful. The first consisted of breaking most of the bones and joints with the help of a small wheel called a crushing wheel, equipped on the outside with many spikes. The second was designed in case of execution. It was assumed that the victim, broken and mutilated in this way, would literally, like a rope, slide between the spokes of a wheel onto a long pole, where he would remain to await death. A popular version of this execution combined wheeling and burning at the stake - in this case, death occurred quickly. The procedure was described in the materials of one of the trials in Tyrol. In 1614, a tramp named Wolfgang Zellweiser from Gastein, found guilty of intercourse with the devil and sending a storm, was sentenced by the court of Leinz to both be thrown on the wheel and burned at the stake.
Limb press or “Knee crusher”
A variety of devices for crushing and breaking joints, both knee and elbow. Numerous steel teeth, penetrating inside the body, inflicted terrible puncture wounds, causing the victim to bleed.
The “Spanish boot” was a kind of manifestation of “engineering genius”, since the judicial authorities during the Middle Ages took care that the best masters They created more and more advanced devices that made it possible to weaken the prisoner’s will and to achieve a confession faster and easier. The metal “Spanish Boot,” equipped with a system of screws, gradually compressed the victim’s lower leg until the bones were broken.
"Iron Shoe" - close relative"Spanish boot" In this case, the executioner “worked” not with the lower leg, but with the foot of the interrogated person. Using the device too hard usually resulted in broken tarsus, metatarsus, and toe bones.
This medieval device, it should be noted, was highly valued, especially in northern Germany. Its function was quite simple: the victim's chin was placed on a wooden or iron support, and the cap of the device was screwed onto the victim's head. First, the teeth and jaws were crushed, then, as the pressure increased, brain tissue began to flow out of the skull. Over time, this instrument lost its significance as a murder weapon and became widespread as an instrument of torture. Despite the fact that both the cover of the device and the lower support are lined with a soft material that does not leave any marks on the victim, the device brings the prisoner into a state of “readiness to cooperate” after just a few turns of the screw.
The pillory has been a widespread method of punishment at all times and under any social system. The convicted person was placed in a pillory certain time, from several hours to several days. Bad weather during the punishment period aggravated the situation of the victim and increased the torment, which was probably considered as “divine retribution.” The pillory, on the one hand, could be considered comparatively in a gentle way punishment in which the guilty were simply exposed in a public place to public ridicule. On the other hand, those chained to the pillory were completely defenseless before the “court of the people”: anyone could insult them with a word or action, spit at them or throw a stone - quiet treatment, the cause of which could be popular indignation or personal enmity, sometimes led to injury or even the death of the convicted person.
This instrument was created as a pillory in the shape of a chair, and was sarcastically named "The Throne". The victim was placed upside down, and her legs were strengthened with wooden blocks. This type of torture was popular among judges who wanted to follow the letter of the law. In fact, the laws governing torture only allowed the Throne to be used once during interrogation. But most judges circumvented this rule by simply calling the next session a continuation of the same first one. Using "Tron" allowed it to be declared as one session, even if it lasted 10 days. Since the use of the Tron did not leave permanent marks on the victim's body, it was very suitable for long-term use. It should be noted that at the same time as this torture, prisoners were also tortured with water and a hot iron.
It could be wooden or iron, for one or two women. It was an instrument of mild torture, with rather psychological and symbolic meaning. There is no documented evidence that the use of this device resulted in physical injury. It was applied mainly to those guilty of slander or insult to personality; the victim’s arms and neck were secured in small holes, so that the punished woman found herself in a prayer position. One can imagine the victim's suffering from poor circulation and pain in the elbows when the device was worn for a long period of time, sometimes for several days.
A brutal instrument used to restrain a criminal in a cross-like position. It is credible that the Cross was invented in Austria in the 16th and 17th centuries. This follows from the book “Justice in Old Times” from the collection of the Museum of Justice in Rottenburg ob der Tauber (Germany). A very similar model, which was located in the tower of a castle in Salzburg (Austria), is mentioned in one of the most detailed descriptions.
The suicide bomber was seated on a chair with his hands tied behind his back, and an iron collar rigidly fixed the position of his head. During the execution process, the executioner tightened the screw, and the iron wedge slowly entered the skull of the condemned man, leading to his death.
Neck trap - ring with nails on inside and with a device resembling a trap on outside. Any prisoner who tried to hide in the crowd could be easily stopped using this device. After being caught by the neck, he could no longer free himself, and he was forced to follow the overseer without fear that he would resist.
This instrument really resembled a double-sided steel fork with four sharp spikes piercing the body under the chin and in the sternum area. It was tightly fastened with a leather belt to the criminal's neck. This type of fork was used in trials for heresy and witchcraft. Penetrating deeply into the flesh, it caused pain with any attempt to move the head and allowed the victim to speak only in an unintelligible, barely audible voice. Sometimes the Latin inscription “I renounce” could be read on the fork.
The instrument was used to stop the victim's shrill screams, which bothered the inquisitors and interfered with their conversation with each other. The iron tube inside the ring was pushed tightly into the victim's throat, and the collar was locked with a bolt at the back of the head. The hole allowed air to pass through, but if desired, it could be plugged with a finger and cause suffocation. This device was often used in relation to those sentenced to be burned at the stake, especially in the large public ceremony called Auto-da-Fé, when heretics were burned by the dozen. The iron gag made it possible to avoid a situation where convicts drown out spiritual music with their screams. Giordano Bruno, guilty of being too progressive, was burned in Rome in the Campo dei Fiori in 1600 with an iron gag in his mouth. The gag was equipped with two spikes, one of which, piercing the tongue, came out under the chin, and the second crushed the roof of the mouth.
There is nothing to say about her, except that she caused death even worse than death at the stake. The weapon was operated by two men who sawed the condemned man suspended upside down with his legs tied to two supports. The very position itself, which caused blood flow to the brain, forced the victim to experience unheard-of torment for a long time. This instrument was used as punishment for various crimes, but was especially readily used against homosexuals and witches. It seems to us that this remedy was widely used by French judges in relation to witches who became pregnant by the “devil of nightmares” or even by Satan himself.
Women who had sinned through abortion or adultery had a chance to become acquainted with this subject. Having heated its sharp teeth white-hot, the executioner tore the victim's chest into pieces. In some areas of France and Germany, until the 19th century, this instrument was called the “Tarantula” or “Spanish Spider”.
This device was inserted into the mouth, anus or vagina, and when the screw was tightened, the segments of the “pear” opened as much as possible. As a result of this torture, internal organs were seriously damaged, often leading to death. When opened, the sharp ends of the segments dug into the wall of the rectum, pharynx or cervix. This torture was intended for homosexuals, blasphemers and women who had abortions or sinned with the Devil.
Cells
Even if the space between the bars was sufficient to push the victim into it, there was no chance for it to get out, since the cage was hung very high. Often the size of the hole at the bottom of the cage was such that the victim could easily fall out of it and break. The anticipation of such an end aggravated the suffering. Sometimes the sinner in this cage, suspended from a long pole, was lowered under water. In the heat, the sinner could be hung in it in the sun for as many days as he could endure without a drop of water to drink. There are known cases when prisoners, deprived of food and drink, died in such cells from hunger and their dried remains terrified their fellow sufferers.
I present to your attention a selection of instruments of torture that were widely used in the 14th-19th centuries during interrogations and simply torture throughout the world and especially in Europe
Interrogation chair.
The interrogation chair was used in Central Europe. In Nuremberg and Fegensburg, until 1846, preliminary investigations using it were regularly carried out. The naked prisoner was seated on a chair in such a position that at the slightest movement, spikes pierced his skin. The torture usually lasted several hours, and the executioners often intensified the agony of the victim by piercing his limbs, using forceps or other instruments of torture. Such chairs had different shapes and sizes, but they were all equipped with spikes and means of immobilizing the victim.
Another option was often used, which was a metal throne to which the victim was tied and a fire was lit under the seat, roasting the buttocks. The famous poisoner La Voisin was tortured on such a chair during the famous Poisoning Case in France in the 16th century.
Hand saw.
There is nothing to say about her, except that she caused death even worse than death at the stake.
The weapon was operated by two men who sawed the condemned man suspended upside down with his legs tied to two supports. The very position itself, which caused blood flow to the brain, forced the victim to experience unheard-of torment for a long time. This instrument was used as punishment for various crimes, but was especially readily used against homosexuals and witches. It seems to us that this remedy was widely used by French judges in relation to witches who became pregnant by the “devil of nightmares” or even by Satan himself
Throne.
This instrument was created as a pillory in the shape of a chair, and was sarcastically called the Throne. The victim was placed upside down, and her legs were strengthened with wooden blocks. This type of torture was popular among judges who wanted to follow the letter of the law. In fact,
The legislation regulating the use of torture allowed the Throne to be used only once during interrogation. But most judges circumvented this rule by simply calling the next session a continuation of the same first one. Using the Tron allowed it to be declared as one session, even if it lasted 10 days. Since the use of the Throne did not leave permanent marks on the victim's body, it was very suitable for long-term
use. It should be noted that at the same time as this torture, the prisoners were also “used” with water and a hot iron.
The Janitor's Daughter or Stork.
The use of the term "stork" is attributed to the Roman Court of the Holy Inquisition in the period from the second half of the 16th century. until about 1650. The same name was given to this instrument of torture by L.A. Muratori in his book “Italian Chronicles” (1749). The origin of the even stranger name "The Janitor's Daughter" is unknown, but it is given by analogy with the name of an identical device in the Tower of London. Whatever the origin of the name, this weapon is a magnificent example of the vast variety of coercive systems that were used during the Inquisition.
The victim's position was carefully thought out. Within a few minutes, this body position led to severe muscle spasms in the abdomen and anus. Then the spasm began to spread to the chest, neck, arms and legs, becoming more and more painful, especially at the site of the initial occurrence of the spasm. After some time, the one tied to the Stork passed from a simple experience of torment to a state of complete madness. Often, while the victim was tormented in this terrible position, he was additionally tortured with a hot iron and other means. The iron bonds cut into the victim's flesh and caused gangrene and sometimes death.
Shameful mask
Witch's chair.
The Inquisition chair, known as the witch's chair, was highly valued as a good remedy against silent women accused of witchcraft. This common tool was especially widely used by the Austrian Inquisition. The chairs were of various sizes and shapes, all equipped with spikes, with handcuffs, blocks for restraining the victim and, most often, with iron seats that could be heated if necessary. We found evidence of the use of this weapon for slow killing. In 1693, in the Austrian city of Gutenberg, Judge Wolf von Lampertisch led the trial of Maria Vukinetz, 57 years old, on charges of witchcraft. She was placed on the witch's chair for eleven days and nights, while the executioners burned her legs with a red-hot iron (insleplaster). Maria Vukinetz died under torture, going crazy from pain, without confessing to the crime.
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Common stake
The executioner, using a rope, could regulate the pressure of the tip and could lower the victim slowly or jerkily. Having completely let go of the rope, the victim was impaled with all his weight on the tip. The tip of the pyramid was directed not only to the anus, but also to the vagina, under the scrotum or under the tailbone. In this terrible way, the Inquisition sought recognition from heretics and witches. To increase pressure, weights were sometimes tied to the victim's legs and arms. Nowadays, they torture in this way in some Latin American countries. For variety, an electric current is connected to the iron belt encircling the victim and to the tip of the pyramid.
Brazier.
In the past, there was no Amnesty International association, no one intervened in the affairs of justice and did not protect those who fell into its clutches. The executioners were free to choose any, from their point of view, suitable means for obtaining confessions. They often also used a brazier. The victim was tied to bars and then "roasted" until genuine repentance and confession were obtained, which led to the discovery of more criminals. And life went on.
Water torture.
In order to best carry out the procedure of this torture, the accused was placed on one of the types of racks or on a special large table with a rising middle part. After the victim's arms and legs were tied to the edges of the table, the executioner began work in one of several ways. One of these methods involved forcing the victim to swallow a large amount of water using a funnel, then hitting the distended and arched abdomen. Another form involved placing a cloth tube down the victim's throat through which water was slowly poured, causing the victim to swell and suffocate. If this was not enough, the tube was pulled out, causing internal damage, and then inserted again, and the process was repeated. Sometimes cold water torture was used. In this case, the accused lay naked on a table under a stream of ice water for hours. It is interesting to note that this type of torture was considered light, and confessions obtained in this way were accepted by the court as voluntary and given by the defendant without the use of torture.
Maid of Nuremberg.
The idea of mechanizing torture was born in Germany and nothing can be done about the fact that the Maid of Nuremberg has such origins. She got her name because of her resemblance to a Bavarian girl, and also because her prototype was created and first used in the dungeon of the secret court in Nuremberg. The accused was placed in a sarcophagus, where the body of the unfortunate man was pierced with sharp spikes, located so that none of the vital organs were affected, and the agony lasted for quite a long time. The first case of legal proceedings using the "Maiden" dates back to 1515. It was described in detail by Gustav Freytag in his book "bilder aus der deutschen vergangenheit". Punishment befell the perpetrator of the forgery, who suffered inside the sarcophagus for three days.
Public torture
Pillory has been a widespread method of punishment at all times and under any social system. The convicted person was placed in the pillory for a certain time, from several hours to several days. Bad weather during the period of punishment aggravated the situation of the victim and increased the torment, which was probably considered as “divine retribution.” The pillory, on the one hand, could be considered a relatively mild method of punishment, in which the perpetrators were simply exposed in a public place to public ridicule . On the other hand, those chained to the pillory were completely defenseless before the “court of the people.” Anyone could insult them in word or action, spit at them or throw a stone - such treatment, the cause of which could be popular indignation or personal enmity, sometimes led to injury or even death of the convicted person.