The Middle Ages are considered the period in history with the most ruthless attitude towards people. For the slightest offense they were subjected to sophisticated torture. This review features 13 torture devices that will make people confess to anything.
Technical description
Artistic description
Cradle of Judas
“The Cradle of Judas” (“Culla di Giuda”). One of the most sophisticated inventions of the Spanish Inquisition, created to combat heretics. This instrument of torture was invented and designed by Ippolito Marsili.
A heavy wooden pyramid rising on four legs, like a chair. Using a system of ropes and gates, the accused was suspended naked and slowly lowered straight onto the tip of the “stool”. The executioners used natural gravity to influence the most sensitive area of the human body - the perineal area. The shape of the device is carefully designed to give the victim the most excruciating suffering from the spreader and is designed for long-term “vigil”. The torture was suspended at night, leaving the suspended person to bleed, and in the morning the interrogations continued with renewed vigor, often tying additional weights to the feet of those who were not particularly compliant. This could go on for several days, and the fact that the point was not washed often caused death from infection.
In this way, they sought from the heretic not only a confession of his own sins, but also the surrender of all his accomplices. That is why the name of the weapon includes the name of the most famous of the traitors - Judas.
Interesting fact:
Among other instruments of torture invented in the Middle Ages, the Cradle of Judas was considered humane and was originally intended only to interfere with sleep.
Artistic description
Do you believe that there are people who will not give up their accomplices even for a lot of money? Let's say there are such people. How then to uncover the conspiracy? In this case, the Judas Cradle comes to the aid of the interrogator. Anyone who visits it will become a traitor.
The defendant's arms and legs are wrapped in rope loops. The executioners, spitting on their gloves, take the free ends of the ropes in their hands and begin to pull them. Thanks to the suspension pulley system, this does not require much tension, and they can control the position of the victim’s body like an experienced puppeteer would control a puppet. A man flies up to the ceiling, he screams, either from fear of torture, or from humiliation associated with limited physical capabilities. The executioners pull the ropes so that the victim's pelvis is turned down, and lower the body, floundering in the air, onto the sharp top of a quadrangular pyramid. The heartbreaking scream makes even the executors wince. The tip digs into the crotch of the future Judas, tearing tendons, nerves and lymph nodes. The weight of the interrogated person forces him deeper and deeper onto the stake that expands downwards. From unimaginable pain, he begins to rush from side to side, which only contributes to the deepening and expansion of the wound. A dark mixture of blood and sewage flows down the sides of the pyramid. Most of the condemned give up after a few minutes, or hours at most, but the executioners can continue the torture all night. This is called "night watch".
Many countries still use various methods of torture, which bring incredible pain to a person and can lead to death.
Although the Middle Ages are long gone, torture has not lost its relevance, but has become less bloody. They are used to obtain information, instill fear, or punish a person. For your attention – methods of torture that are practiced in the modern world.
A large amount of torture is used in Syria, and one of the methods was used in ancient times. It consists in the fact that the prisoner is tied to a chair, and after that they begin to gradually lower the back of the chair down, which forces the person to bend. This causes severe stress on the spine, which causes irreversible damage and can even lead to death.
An unusual method of torture, which has a strong impact on the human psyche and can lead to madness. The prisoner is locked in a completely white and silent room, given white food and protected from the outside world. This is considered an extreme form of sensory derivation, where all senses are switched off.
This term refers to a special type of detention that is used by the Communist Party in relation to officials suspected of corruption. People are not just arrested, but kidnapped and detained until sentencing. During this they are subjected to numerous tortures, which is why many do not return from such imprisonment.
The real torture chamber is the Syrian box in which the person is placed. Its dimensions are very small, so it is very cramped inside and the prisoner has to be in an uncomfortable position for a long time.
It is believed that in some parts of Asia there is a method of torture that causes people to experience severe pain. The prisoner is placed on a bed and his arms and legs are tied to his legs, so that the person is suspended and not lying down. He can lie in this position for several days, which leads to muscle atrophy. This method of torture is often used against political prisoners before sentencing.
To punish, a person is placed in a narrow cage, which may have internal spikes to restrict movement, and then lowered into water or swamp so that the head remains on the surface. The victim can remain in this position for a long time. According to rumors, a similar method is used in China against followers of the Falun Dafa teachings.
A terrible ordeal awaits those sentenced to the tiger bench. A person is tied to a board in a sitting position, with several bricks placed under his heels. That's not all, as two guards press down on his legs with a stick. The test continues until the straps break or the legs break.
A stun gun is a long stick with electrodes from which a small but high-voltage current emanates. It is applied to the most sensitive parts of the body, such as the throat, genitals, chest and so on. This method of torture is popular in some prisons to punish guilty convicts.
Many have seen this method of torture in films, but it is also used in real life. It is used for interrogations. The person's face is covered with a rag, and then water is poured on it. As a result, an imitation of a situation occurs, as if a person is drowning, and he begins to suffocate.
In torture, they began to use the benefits of the modern world, for example, the CIA has legalized an interrogation method that requires air conditioning. The victim is undressed and placed in a room in which cooling equipment is running at full capacity. A person can stay in a cold chamber from several hours to months.
People who go on hunger strike are subjected to this torture. To keep prisoners alive, they are force-fed. This can be done not only through the mouth, but also through the nose, using a tube through which food is supplied.
The method of torture used during the Renaissance is now called Palestinian hanging. The prisoner's hands are placed behind his back, they are secured with a rope and tied to the ceiling. As a result, dislocated arms make breathing difficult, and the person experiences severe discomfort.
A terrible method of punishment that can drive you crazy. The prisoner is buried alive in the ground, but if this happens as an educational measure, then the person is left with a tube for breathing.
Initially, it may seem that this method is harmless, but this is only if you squat for several minutes. When people are tortured in this way, they are cuffed with their hands so that they cannot straighten their legs, and they are left in this position for several days, even weeks. To complicate the prisoner's position, nails are placed under his heels, and then he has to sit on his toes.
To implement this method of torture, the victim's arms and legs are handcuffed or shackled, connected to each other by a steel rod, which puts strong pressure on the back. As a result, the person cannot walk, sit, eat or perform other activities normally, experiencing severe pain all the time.
This method of torture appeared in medieval times, but it is still used in some countries to publicly humiliate the offender. The victim is chained to a post with a collar and shackles. As a result, the body begins to go numb and incredible pain occurs.
A terrible and inhumane method of torture is used at the state level and in various gangs and groups. It is clear that it involves pulling out the nail plate using forceps.
This method of torture looks strange, but it is used in many countries. It consists of putting headphones on the victim and playing loud music, and in most cases, hard rock. As a result, the human senses and psyche are seriously damaged, but no visible injuries are observed.
In Trinidad and Tobago, they continue to use an unusual whip, which is a whip with nine tails, on the edges of which there are metal claws. During blows, they tear the skin, causing quite deep wounds. The Human Rights Court is working to formally ban the use of the whip.
During interrogations, sleep deprivation is often used, for which they conduct continuous interrogations, force them to do some kind of work, and so on. As a result, the body becomes exhausted, and the person ceases to control himself.
The weapon, which was used back in medieval times, is still used by various gangs and rebel groups. It involves fixing the thumbs in a vice, which leads to crushing of the bones.
From time to time there are reports in the press about the use of this method of torture in different countries. The victim is taken into a pen or other confined space and angry dogs are unleashed on him, which can bite him to death.
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 perform 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 for three days inside the sarcophagus.
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.
Chastity belt
Male chastity belt
Collar with handcuffs
Iron slipper
This device was developed in Austria at the end of the 17th century and looks like the comfortable slippers of our time. Using a screw, the size was adjusted in accordance with the punishment. The culprit was obliged to walk through the streets of the city with a bell, so that people would know that public punishment was being carried out. This saved the executioners’ strength, since the “slippers” themselves provided the torture. Just imagine what it's like to walk in slippers that are three sizes smaller than yours.
Gossip Girl Clip
Tempered forceps and scissors
During the Inquisition, torture was practically an entire profession; inquisitors constantly invented new sophisticated ways to torture people, sometimes completely innocent. Inquisitors tortured not only for the sake of more effective investigation of crimes, but also for the sake of directly inflicting painful death on a person for the crime he committed.
Torture is the oldest method of punishment or obtaining information from a person. They tortured people in Ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Ancient Greece.
The Cradle of Judas, invented by Hippolyte Marsili, is perhaps one of the most inhumane and degrading.
The device looked like a metal or wooden pyramid on a human-sized pedestal, on top of which a person, stripped naked, was placed. A wooden “device” was preferable, since it injured human tissue more slowly than. For balance, the supposed sinner's arms and legs are supported by chains that are attached to the ceiling. A person could remain in this position for quite a long time, but then, after screaming and crying, inevitable death from painful shock followed.
An alternative name for torture is “vigil”. It could last for days.
Sinners often lost consciousness from pain, but they were brought to their senses and executed. It is interesting that this type of torture was considered a soft, lightweight option, since it did not break bones or damage vital organs.
In such horrific actions, the clergy not only took a direct part, but constantly theoretically proved to the uneducated people that these actions were legal and.
Only at the end of the 17th century, with the beginning of the intellectual revolution of the New Time era, torture began to become a thing of the past. The emerging ideas of humanism, which were gaining strength, did not allow outrages against the human person.
The death of Galileo Galilei, accused of heresy, was the last straw among the great minds of the time, and they began active anti-religious propaganda. This does not mean that torture was never used again. During the 3rd Reich, for example, they were common. But in our time, torture, unfortunately, cannot be ruled out. It is common knowledge that American soldiers tortured Syrian prisoners of war.
Throughout its history, humanity has come up with a huge number of ways and means of taming the body and spirit. All kinds of devices that could cause hellish pain or deprive a person of reason made it possible to find out the most serious secrets.
Rack, dismemberment, impalement, trampling by elephants, testing, air or rats - all these techniques were horribly improved and used not only in native tribes far from civilization, but also took place in societies that claim to be humanistic and tolerant. The torture used in China was particularly cruel and sophisticated; it could be relatively harmless, involving blows with a bamboo stick, or it could be particularly cruel and inhumane.
Particularly noteworthy is bamboo torture, which involves placing on pointed bamboo stalks and fixing them on them. The plant, which grew to incredible sizes in the shortest periods of time, literally tore a person apart from the inside. Death by thousands of cuts, due to loss of blood and shock of pain, was also quite common as a serious punishment involving torture and mutilation.
Until the 20th century, Chinese torture was quite common and sometimes affected not only criminals, but also completely innocent people who were simply witnesses to incidents.
One of the most famous Chinese tortures to this day is the water test. The accused was placed in a cold room and completely immobilized; in pitch darkness, water dripped onto the poor fellow’s forehead for a long time.
