Forms of Ancient Punishment

Judas Cradle

The Judas Cradle, a terrible medieval torture where the victim would be
placed on top of a pyramid-like seat. The victim's feet were tied to each other in
a way that moving one leg would force the other to move as well - increasing
pain.

The triangular-shaped end of the judas cradle was inserted in the victim's
anus or vagina. This torture could last, depending on some factors discussed
below, anywhere from a few hours to complete days.

Coffin Torture

The Coffin Torture was feared throughout the Middle Ages. It is enough
for one to look at the picture to the left to realize the reason.

The victim was placed inside the "coffin". Torturers were well-known for
forcing overweight victims into the device, or even making the "coffin" slightly
larger than normal to make the victims more uncomfortable.

The period of time a victim was to be kept inside the coffin was
determined by his or her crime. Very serious crimes, such as blasphemy, were
punished by death inside the coffin where the victim was to be kept inside under
the sun with animals eating his or her flesh.

The coffin was sometimes placed in a public plaza so the local population
would congregate around it and mock the unlucky victim. Sometimes death
occurred because of the hatred towards the person as others often threw rocks
and other objects to further increase the pain.

The Brazen Bull

The brazen bull is an executionary device first invented in Ancient Greece.

Its inventor, Perillos of Athens, proposed to Phalaris; a tyrant, the need of

a more painful way to kill criminals. This was done hoping to disuade the poor
population from committing any more crimes.

As the story goes, when Perillos finished the brazen bull, Phalaris asked
Perillos to try it out by himself. He then ordered him locked inside the brazen bull
and set a fire underneath it. He was very pleased with the results. Being burned
alive was a very exciting act to watch.
 When a victim is placed inside the brazen bull, he or she is slowly burned
to death. This device gradually became more sophisticated until the Greek
invented a complex system of tubes in order to make the victim's screams sound
like an infuriated ox.

The Rack Torture

The rack is commonly considered the most painful form of medieval

torture. It was a wooden frame usually above ground with two ropes fixed to the
bottom and another two tied to a handle in the top.

The torturer turned the handle causing the ropes to pull the victim's arms.
Eventually, the victim's bones were dislocated with a loud crack. If the torturer
kept turning the handles, some of the limbs were torn apart, usually the arms.

This method was mostly used to extract confessions, as not confessing

meant that the torturer could stretch more. Sometimes, torturers forced their
victim to watch other people be tortured with this device to implant psychological
fear.

The Water Torture

Dunking

Dunking is a form of punishment that was mainly reserved for

supposed witches. The victim was tied to a chair which was elevated or
lowered by the torturer. If he noticed that the victim was going to pass
out, he elevated the chair. When he needed information and the victim
was unwilling to cooperate, he lowered it. This method was widely used
during the Spanish Inquisition and in England and France. The victim was
usually intermittently submerged for many hours until he or she revealed
information or death occurred.

While witches were commonly tortured using this method, thieves

and murderers could be subject to it in order to extract a confession. This
was more common when other more sophisticated torture devices were
not present.

Drops of Water

A very painful method of torture consisted of fixing a victim's head

under a small tube that constantly filtered drops of water. These fell on
 the same spot of the victim's head leading to, in prolonged periods of
time, perforation and eventually death.

The Cauldron

The unlucky victim was placed inside an empty cauldron attached

to chains. The cauldron was filled with cold water and beneath it, a fire
was set. Eventually the water began to boil cooking the victim alive. This
was more frequently a way to execute a prisoner rather than to extract a
confession.

Freezing with water

In the winter, the naked victim was forced to stand outside in full
view of everyone. Slowly, the torturer poured water on his head which
eventually became frozen making the victim die slowly and painfully.
Sometimes the body was left for the whole winter to terrify the population
and dissuade any further crimes, as punishment was imminent.

Force Drinking

This torture was mostly used in more recent times, but some
historians believe that its origins date to the Middle Ages. The effect is
this: the victim is forced to drink much water until his confession or death.

Exposure

As its name implies, this method consists of exposing a victim to the

elements. The victim could be buried up to his neck letting any animals, insects
or other people kill him slowly.

In some towns there were chains, stocks or ropes used to quickly restrain
someone. In many cases, the victim was simply left to die of hunger and thirst.

Due to its cost efficiency and cruelty, the exposure torture was very
widespread in medieval Europe. The victim's remains often served as a warning
to the population.

In many cases, the victim was sentenced to a short period of exposure,

depending on the crime. However, death was frequent since they were
completely defenseless.

The Chair of Torture (Torture)

 Also known as the Judas Chair, the Chair of Torture was a terrible device
of the Middle Ages. It was used until the late 1800's in Europe.

There are many variants of the chair. They all have one thing in common:
spikes cover the back, arm-rests, seat, leg-rests and foot-rests. The number of
spikes in one of these chairs ranges from 500 to 1,500.

To avoid movement, the victim's wrists were tied to the chair or, in one
version, two bars pushed the arms against arm-rests for the spikes to penetrate
the flesh even further. In some versions, there were holes under the chair's
bottom where the torturer placed coal to cause severe burns while the victim still
remained conscious.

The Pear of Anguish

The Pear of Anguish was used during the Middle Ages as a way to torture
women who conducted a miscarriage, liars, blasphemers and homosexuals.

A pear-shaped instrument was inserted into one of the victim's orifices:

the vagina for women, the anus for homosexuals and the mouth for liars and
blasphemers.

The instrument consisted of four leaves that slowly separated from each
other as the torturer turned the screw at the top. It was the torturer's decision to
simply tear the skin or expand the "pear" to its maximum and mutilate the
victim.

The Pear of Anguish was usually very adorned to differentiate between

the anal, vaginal and oral pears. They also varied in size accordingly.

The Rat Torture

A cheap and effective way to torture someone was with the use of rats.
There were many variants, but the most common was to force a rat through a
victim's body (usually the intestines) as a way to escape. This was done as
follows:

The victim was completely restrained and tied to the ground or any
horizontal surface. A rat was then placed on his stomach covered by a metallic
container. As the container was gradually heated, the rat began to look for a way
out - through the victim's body.

Digging a hole usually took a few hours of agonizing pain for the victim.
This almost invariantly resulted in death.
The Breast Ripper

Used as a way to punish women, the breast ripper was a painful and cruel
way to mutilate a woman's breasts.

This instrument was mostly reserved for women accused of conducting a

miscarriage or those accused of adultery.

The claws were used either hot or cold on the victim's exposed breasts. If
the victim wasn't killed she would be scarred for life as her breasts were literally
torn apart.

A common variant of the breast ripper is often referred to as "The Spider"

which is a similar instrument attached to a wall. The victim's breasts were fixed
to the claws and the woman was pulled by the turturer away from the wall;
successfully removing them.

The Head Crusher

The head crusher was widely used during most of the Middle Ages,
especially the Inquisition. With the chin placed over the bottom bar and the head
under the upper cap, the torturer slowly turned the screw pressing the bar
against the cap.

This resulted in the head being slowly compressed. First the teeth are
shattered into the jaw; then the victim slowly died with agonizing pain, but not
before his eyes were squeezed from his sockets.

This instrument was a formidable way to extract confessions from victims

as the period of pain could be prolonged for many hours if the torturer chose to.
This could be done by repeatedly turning the screw both ways.

If the torture was stopped midway, the victim often had irreparable
damage done to the brain, jaw or eyes.

Saw Torture

The Saw was widely used throughout the Middle Ages, mainly because the
tools required were found in most houses and no complex devices were required.
It was a cheap way to torture and kill a victim who was often accused of:
witchery, adultery, murder, blasphemy or even theft.
 The victim was tied to an inverted position. This had several "benefits":
first, it assured sufficient blood diverted to the brain, second, it slowed down the
loss of blood and third, it humiliated the victim.

Depending on the victim and torturer, this torture could last several hours.
When a confession was required, the victim was frequently forced to watch
someone else be subject to this method. If he didn't confess, he'd be slowly cut
in half.

The Virgin of Nuremberg (The Maiden)

The Iron Maiden, otherwise known as the Virgin of Nuremberg, was a

device used from the XVI century to torture criminals.

It stands 7 feet tall and is able to accommodate a man. The victim was
tied inside the Maiden and one of the two doors was shut, penetrating the
victim's flesh with the strategically-placed spikes that didn't penetrate any vital
organs. When completely closed, the screams from the victim could not be heard
outside, nor could the victim see any light or hear anything. This increased the
psychological pain. Additionally, the spikes blocked the wounds so it took many
hours - or even days - for death to occur.

The Spanish Tickler

This terrible device was used in most of Europe during the Middle Ages.
It's a very simple instrument that was used to tear a victim's skin apart. Due to
its shape, neither bones nor muscles were spared.

The victim was naked and tied making him or her completely defenseless.
Then the torturers began the (sometimes public) act of mutilating the victim.
They often began with the limbs and slowly moved into the chest, back, neck
and finally the face.

In short, the Spanish Tickler or Cat's Paw, is nothing but an extension to

the torturer's hand. The spikes were sharp enough to tear anything in their path.

Garrotte Torture

Very common in all the world, the Garrotte received its Spanish name due
to its popularity in the area. The Spanish also perfected this instrument to cause
a painful and decisive death.
 The victim was tied to the instrument and his or her neck forced inside
the iron collar. With the handle that can be seen in the picture, the executioner
slowly crushed the victim's neck causing death from asphyxia.

Flagellation (Whipping)

Flagellation, or whipping, was very common in Rome. It was still in use

during the Middle Ages most notoriously in the army where flagellation was a
very common form of punishment.

The British army was very notorious for using flagellation to punish minor
offenses. The amount of whipping depended on the victim's crime and it
sometimes incurred death.

The Wheel Torture (Breaking Wheel)

This device was used as a capital punishment during the Middle Ages.
Reserved for hated criminals, The Wheel always killed its victim, but did so very
slowly.

The Wheel originated in Greece and quickly spread to Germany, France,

Russia, England and Sweden. The device consists of a large wooden wheel with
many spokes. The victim's limbs were tied to the spokes and the wheel itself was
slowly revolved. Through the openings between the spokes, the torturer usually
hit the victim with an iron hammer that could easily break the victim's bones.
Once his bones were broken, he was left on the wheel to die, sometimes placed
on a tall pole so the birds could feed from the still-living human.

Foot Roasting

In Medieval Times, foot roasting was a popular way to extract a

confession or punish a criminal of minor crimes.

The victim's feet were imprisoned in the stocks (see picture) and then red-
hot coal was placed right under them. When the subject was interrogated, a
screen was put between the heat and his feat, acting as relief. If he refused to
confess, his bare feet were exposed to the flames.

The torture progressed until the victim's feet were charred to the bone.
When this occurred, the phalanges and other bones fell as the feet were
completely burned. This very rarely resulted in death, but if the victim refused to
confess, he could be subject to other tortures.

Burning at the Stake

 Burning at the stake was a very common way to execute blasphemers,
thieves and witches. It was used throughout the Middle Ages and beyond.

If the fire was big enough, death occurred first by asphyxia rather than
damage done by the flames. However, this was a known fact and the victims
were usually burned in a smaller fire so they would "suffer until the end". When
the fire was small, death occurred because of loss of blood or a heatstroke which
could take even hours.

When the victim was hated by the population if he, for example, raped a
woman, the general populace often congregated around the stake to see the
victim die. The smell was terrible and lasted for many hours or even days after
his death.

Thumbscrew Torture

The thumbscrew was used during the Middle Ages.

The victim's fingers were placed inside the instrument and slowly crushed
as the torturer turned the handle on top. This method was primarily used to
extract confessions as it was both painful and very lasting.

The Heretics Fork

The heretics fork was used in the Middles Ages mainly during the Spanish
Inquisition.

The instrument consists of two forks set against each other that
penetrated the flesh under the chin in one end and the upper chest in the other.
As usual, this instrument didn't harm any vital points; thus avoiding death and
prolonging pain.

The victim's hands were tied behind his back to prevent any chance of
escape. The Heretics Fork made speech and neck movement almost impossible
and was used after a confession to avoid hearing the victim any further. As can
be seen in the picture, a small collar supported the fork forcing the victim to hold
his head erect.

Flaying Torture

Flaying is a very old torture method that was used thousands of years ago
in the Middle East, Africa and even America. During the Middle Ages, it was
frequently used to torture and execute criminals, captured soldiers and witches.
 In one version of the Flaying Torture, the victim's arms were tied to a pole
above his head while his feet were tied below. His body was now completely
exposed and the torturer, with the help of a small knife, peeled off the victim's
skin slowly. In most cases, the torturer peeled off his facial skin first, slowly
working his way down to the victim's feet. Most victims died before the torturer
even reached their waist.

Lead Sprinkler

At first sight, it looks like a holy water sprinkler, but in reality it's a bit
more complex. The torturer poured molten metals in one end and its contents
slowly rushed to the other side where they fell on any part of the victim's body.
Many executions occurred with this instrument.

Knee Splitter

The knee splitter, a terrible torture, was mostly used during the
Inquisition. What this instrument accomplished was to permanently render the
knees useless.

Even though the name implies that this instrument was only used for
"splitting" knees, it was also used in other body parts including: the elbows, arms
and even the lower legs.

As the torturer turned the handle, the claws slowly slammed against each
other mutilating any skin in between. The number of spikes the knee splitter
contained varied from three to more than twenty.

Pillory Torture

The pillory was used to publicly humiliate a victim. Even though it was
meant as a mild form of punishment, the crowd sometimes made it lethal.

The pillory often served as a post for Flagellation. When the victim was
restrained with the device, he was completely defenseless and subject to the
crowd.

In many cases the crowd threw harmless objects such as vegetables, but
when the victim committed a serious offense they threw stones or other heavy
objects. The crowd often humiliated the victim by cutting his hair, putting marks
on his body and even mutilating some of his body parts.

The Brank
 The Brank was used to humiliate women who "by brawling and wrangling
amongst her neighbours breaks the public peace, increases discord and becomes
a public nuisance to the neighbourhood." In short, women who gossiped with
their neighbors with no purpose other than to offend, ridicule or lie about
someone else were subject to this torture.

The device was a metal cage or mask that enclosed the head, often with
ridiculous adornments designed to humiliate its victim. In some towns, the Brank
had a bell attached to its rear only to announce the presence of the victim who
was instantly mocked by the people she "endangered" through gossip.

Crocodile Shears

The crocodile shears had a very specific purpose: To mutilate those who
attempted to assassinate the king.

The interior design closely resembles a tube containing numerous spikes

on both ends. Although it was sometimes used to mutilate the fingers, its most
common purpose was to mutilate a man's penis.

Toe Wedging

The victim's feet were secured on a small platform. Using wooden or

metallic wedges, the torturer slowly fixed the wedges underneath the victim's
nails, almost exclusively for confessionary purposes.

What followed next was agonizing pain for the victim, as failure to confess
would mean wedging the next nail, and the next. Toe wedging was considered
the prelude to more painful and humiliating torture methods that would ensue if
the victim failed to confess.

The Copper Boot

The copper boot could be used in several different ways. First, the
torturer placed the victim's feet inside the boot and secured them with chains
inside the device. Depending on the crime, the victim could be tortured in many
different ways:

Boiling Water
Although it was more common for victims to be Boiled Alive with
the cauldron, torturers could fill the boot with water and place some fire
underneath, slowly burning the victim's feet until the victim passed out,
died, or confessed.
 Molten Metals
Although the boot would become unusable for later victims, filling it
with molten copper, lead or silver was a common practice as it would
produce third degree burns and even cause intoxication.

Beat it
Another way to prolong pain was by repeatedly beating the boot
with a hammer. Although the legs would not suffer lethal damage, the
pain this incurred often made the victim pass out.

The Pendulum

The pendulum was a good way to extract confessions. With the help of a
rope, the victim's wrists were tied behind his back. As the torturer turned the
handle, the rope slowly elevated eventually dislocating the victim's shoulders.

This was very seldom a lethal torture method, as torturers used the
pendulum mostly for inflicting psychological fear to extract confessions before
actually hurting the victim.

The Street Sweeper's Daughter

Very possibly called the Street Sweeper's Daughter after the Scavenger's
Daughter from England, this device was mostly used in Russia and the Middle
East.

The Street Sweeper's Daughter worked by compressing the victim's body;

just like The Rack, but inversely so. The torturer Could tighten the device or
loosen it up, depending on the victim's offense.

This device although not very painful-looking, was often employed publicly
to humiliate the victim. Those particularly hated individuals were often at the
mercy of an angry crowd that often threw stones and fecal maters to the
exposed victim.