13 Terrifying Medieval Torture Devices List 1) Torture Rack – A popular medieval torture device. The pear was inserted into the vagina, anus or throat, depending on the nature of the crime committed: The oral device was reserved for heretics, while the anal and vaginal pears were used on homosexuals and witches, respectively. Torquemada, the infamous torturer of the Spanish Inquisition, was known to favor a stretching rack known as a potoro [source: Goldberg & Itzkowitz]. "The Breast Ripper. Explore an array of Wisconsin Dells, WI vacation rentals, including cabins, houses & more bookable online. The ostensible goal of the Inquisition, you'll recall, was the discovery of false converts. Trattato Degli Instrumenti di Delle Varie Maniere di Martirizare (Tortures and Torments of the Christian Martyrs). Victims were usually mutilated before being put into the cages to scare other people and to stop them from committing crimes. In the 1800s, researchers found one in a castle in Nuremberg, Germany, and documented proof of its use later surfaced [source: Innes]. Sometimes men would use these devices on errant wives who nagged them too often. Once the victim was inside, the doors were closed. The iron maiden was a torture device that was also known as the virgin of Nuremberg, it was basically like a giant coffin or container that had two doors that opened from the middle, like a double door cupboard and Inside the doors were talons similar to spikes. The accused was tied to a stake and a fire was lit around them, as people cheered the person was set alight and burned to their death, quite a simple method really for medieval torture but also one of the Terrifying Medieval Torture Devices of the time. The device consisted of three upright metal bars, between which the thumbs were placed. Torture devices similar to the iron maiden, however, have been described in texts written prior to this period. As well as using the rack there were other means of torture that were practiced upon children and women and people either of lower crimes or with less strength, as the purpose of the torture was to often to get results, not really to kill the person. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. People were often tortured to force religious conversions. 1428 – 1477 >>. The cruel irony of the Inquisition's practice of burning people at the stake was that it happened whether you confessed or not. Parry, L.A. Read more about the Garrotte Torture Device >>, The Iron Maiden has to rank as one of the nastiest pieces of medieval torture devices, The Iron Maiden had hundreds of spikes inside of it that entered your body as the doors closed. Related Post: Top 10 Seriously Spooky Sites Around Scotland. Next, we'll finish up our torturous tour with a set of implements reserved for women. Blood status,1 also called purity of blood,2 is a concept in the wizarding world that distinguishes between family trees that have different levels of magically-endowed members. The pillory itself does no harm to the victim, though it's certainly not comfortable. Eventually, the fire was extinguished by the downpour of blood as the victim's limbs were torn free [source: Gallonio]. Read more about the Medieval Witchcraft and Wicked Witches! "The Pear of Anguish."http://www.medievality.com/pear-of-anguish.html. A screw pressed the wood bar downward, crushing the thumbs painfully. Burning, beating and suffocating were very common techniques that were used in medieval torture methods, surprisingly, the Roman Catholic Church were heavily involved in medieval torture. The executioner however was careful not to kill the person outright, as they wanted them to suffer a long and painful death. The torturer turned a screw to make the pear shaped metal object expand by force inside the victims body, this was a very effective torture device that would rip the tissue flesh and membranes inside a person’s body. Believe it or not, this quasi-crucifixion was one of the tamer punishments dealt to heretics in the 15th century. 11 Bloodcurdling Torture Devices of the Middle Ages, Read more about the 11 Bloodcurdling Torture Devices of the Middle Ages >>, Read more about the Branks Torture Device >>, Read more about the Brazen Bull – Horrific Torture >>, Burned Alive **Evil Medieval Torture Methods, Read more about the Burned Alive **Evil Medieval Torture Methods >>, Read more about the Burned at the Stake – Joan of Arc 1431 >>, Read more about the Crime & Punishment >>, Read more about the Garrotte Torture Device >>, Read more about the Iron Maiden – Torture Device >>, Read more about the Judas Cradle – Torture Device >>, Read more about the Medieval Witchcraft and Wicked Witches! The garrotte was another name for hanging in the Middle Ages during the middle Ages lawmakers were always looking for ways to improve punishment techniques and in the 18th century the idea of slow strangulation was an idea that became popular amongst lawmakers. Lucent Books, 1995. The scavengers daughter can be traced back to Henry VIII reign Read more about the The Scavenger’s Daughter >>, The Spanish Inquisition was a legal system used by Catholic Monarchs/Catholic Church to identify, suppress and punish non believers who were called heretics. Read more about the Pear of Anguish >>, The strappado torture device was used extensively during the Inquisition's. You weren't likely to die from their use, but they created unendurable agony. Finally, the wheel would be attached to the top of a tall wooden pole and left out in the sun for days. These public humiliations were sometimes followed by bizarre sexual mutilations. This effect created additional amusement for the audience, and served the added benefit of distancing them from the brutality of the torture, since they couldn't directly see the victim. The goal was to strike fear into the hearts of other Protestants [source: Kellaway]. If the person being tortured did not make a confession of guilt then the board, which gave temporary relief, would be removed and the torture would commence again, until the correct confession was obtained. 10 Most Cruel Torture Devices of All Time: 10. Witches were once considered valuable members of their communities. would rip the tissue flesh and membranes inside a person’s body. One of these devices invented exclusively for women torture was the Pear of Anguish (known as choke pear-the modern name for this instrument displayed in some museums). In other words, the Inquisition was trying to find out which of the people whom they had forced under penalty of death to convert to Christianity weren't really Christians.. To achieve this end, the Inquisitors employed several means of torture to aid their … The torture rack operator would then turn the rollers at each side; immense pain was transmitted to the victim as the pulling mechanism of the torture device dislocated every joint in a person’s body. 13 Terrifying Medieval Torture Devices List. Most medieval European countries used some form of torture as part of their countries legal proceedings. Continued pressure could cause the limbs to be torn right off. In his 1975 book "A History of Torture in England," L.A. Parry attempted to explain this bizarre phenomenon: "...What strikes us most in considering the mediaeval tortures, is not so much their diabolical barbarity … as the extraordinary variety, and what may be termed the artistic skill, they displayed. The Brazen Bull was a hollow brass statue crafted to resemble a real bull. This was overwhelmingly used on women as one of many ways to control and subjugate them, literally taking away their ability to speak or share opinions. The Pear of Anguish - A very painful torture applied almost exclusively on witches, liars, blasphemers and homosexuals. Victims were placed inside, usually with their tongues cut out first. The torture devices that were invented were particularly sickening and it beggars belief that human beings could have used torture devices like this to inflict maximum pain on their fellow man. Equal parts spa treatment and party drug, news of the regenerative powers of adrenochrome spread quickly among the world scientific … Authorities responded to increases in crime rates by enacting excruciating tortures upon convicted criminals, usually in a very public manner. The accused had to testify against himself and did not have the right to face and question his accuser; torture became a frequent means of soliciting testimony from the accused. Protestants were regularly tortured and martyred for their religious beliefs.. >>, Medieval Torture devices such as The Pear were used to obtain confessions from medieval women who were accused of being witches and similar, however the Pear Torture device was so brutal that the victim was usually killed. Minor medieval crimes were dealt with by humiliation whereas severe medieval crimes were punished by torture and death. Dungeons were the ideal place to keep all the instruments of torture and torture devices used on medieval prisoners imprisoned in the castle. If that was not enough some other, models of the iron maiden had two spikes positioned to stick through the eyes of the victim. Being burned at the stake was usually the last stop for torture victims, because this form of torture was invariably fatal. ... an uncomfortable position … six feet under! A wooden bar slid down along the metal bars, pressing the thumbs against the bottom. DAMIAN The games would not begin for hours yet, but already the coliseum was nearly full. The wheel or ‘Breaking Wheel’ was also called the execution wheel or Catherine wheel. Witch Torture and Witch Tests. The use of medieval torture devices is one of the darker aspects of the medieval times although it is interesting to read about these 13 Terrifying Medieval Torture Devices. This meant that the Scots could legally hunt, torture and execute people as witches. The head crusher was yet another gruesome medieval torture device that was made of metal and was a mechanism to crush the skull, the victim had their chin placed on a bar and the screw action of the head crusher forced pressure downwards on the head. They were often used in conjunction with the interrogation of witches and heretics. It often results in prejudice towards those who have a large number of Muggles in their families. St. Martin's Press, 1998. The History of Torture and Execution. As we can see in medieval times, there was a lot of barbaric cruelty towards torture victims who in many cases were innocent of any crime. The torturer would use a screw to tighten the hinge, crushing the victim further and further into his involuntary crouch. (Ingraham, Edward D., trans.) The strappado torture device was used to gain confessions from heretics, it was designed to stretch and dislocate its victims limbs and was of a simple design. History of Punishment and Torture. Download Porn Pictures From This Stories. It's unlikely, but if there could be anything worse than the Breast Ripper, it is surely the Pear of Anguish. A more elaborate method involved a wheel mounted to an A-frame that allowed it to swing freely. A Popular Medieval Torture Device device was the infamous torture rack, which was very successful in extracting confessions from people.The tortured person was stretched out on a rack, tied by the ankles and wrists across a flat board that had rollers at both sides. They also faced torture because they may have committed heresy against the established church. The victim was forced to crouch on one half of the hoop while the other half was pivoted and placed over his back. Torture was often included as part of a judicial sentence against a criminal. It was a wooden device that vaguely resembled an actual horse in shape. However, if you confessed, you would be strangled to death before the fire was lit, supposedly sparing you the agony. Read more about the Torture Rack – Torture Device >>, Vlad the Impaler was probably one of the most evil people in History, his rule was around the late medieval period. He or she was stretched until his or her joints dislocated, then left there or slackened and allowed to hang underneath the horse while an inquisitor or judge questioned the victim and tried to get a confession [source: Gallonio]. Inventing Human Rights. This tool was used against people accused of high treason during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England[source: Innes]. Dunking was also used as punishment for common scolds. Others who won the crowd's favor by refusing to pay unjust taxes or mocking government officials were showered with flowers or rescued from the pillory outright [source: Kellaway]. However, they were relatively short spikes, so the wounds wouldn't be instantly fatal. Based on Deborah Harkness’s best-selling novel, A Discovery of Witches is a contemporary love story that begins against the backdrop of Oxford academic life, in a world where small numbers of witches, vampires and daemons live and work, unseen amongst humans, hiding in plain sight. When opened, the victim places his or her head and arms through the holes. Once a person was convicted of a crime, he or she might be tortured again until they identified his or her accomplices. Sections of Wood were placed carefully under wrists, ankles, knees, hips and elbows. The Brazen Bull was made of Bronze. One of the most famous and widely known uses of the torture rack was in the infamous Spanish Inquisition. Wheels were adapted to many torturous uses. This practice didn't die out at the end of the Middle Ages, however. In a 1939 study, perfusion of adrenochrome was found to regenerate and restart a frog’s heart, bringing the animal back to life and making adrenaline/epinephrine application in heart attack patients standard of care to this very moment.. Throughout the galaxy, any practice by which severe pain and/or suffering was inflicted on a being, whether physical or mental, was considered torture.1 Torture was used for such purposes as obtaining from the subject or a third party information2 or a confession,3 or as punishment for an act an individual had or was suspected of having committed.4 Other motives were simple … Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Copyright © 2021 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. The Branks was usually used in cases of misbehavior by a wife and could be used in most circumstances – even for just disagreeing with her husband – could mean that the husband would be able to use the Branks torture device on his wife. As Sirius Black informed Harry Potter, almost all wizards of their time have Muggles in their family trees, though … 1428 – 1477, Read more about the Vlad the Impaler – Torture, Death and Dracula! Pear of Anguish. Fearless Females: Our Women's History Quiz. The characters live, bleed, and roar. Such torture was known as being "broken on the rack," "racked," or "stretched on the rack." There are many cases in which entire classes of people were systematically tortured (usually to death) with no desire to acquire information, determine guilt or enact a religious conversion. An homage to the indomitable power and persistence of women, The Once and Future Witches reimagines stories of revolution, motherhood, and women's suffrage—the lost ways are calling.
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