Torture Techniques of the Middle Ages

1. Torture Techniques of the Middle Ages English 7-8

2. Heretic’s Fork • This was used to get a confession by restricting neck and head movement. • This wouldn’t kill a person, just make it very uncomfortable.

3. Judas Cradle • The victim would sometimes have weight added to their legs to increase the pain. • If they didn’t die within a few hours, they would inevitably die from infection.

4. Lead Sprinkler • This was used to poor hot, liquid metal into the device and it would slowly pour out onto the victim. • Sometimes they would pour molten silver on their eyes to speed up the execution.

5. Rat Torture • The victim would be tied down and a rat placed on their stomach inside a metal box. • As the box heated up, the rat would try to dig a way out through the body.

6. Ducking Stool • This is a chair that the victim would be strapped into over a body of water. • The victim would be immersed in the water, and potentially drowning them.

7. Burning At The Stake • The victim would be tied to a pole, which was set on fire. • The victim would die of smoke inhalation or burn to death.

8. The Chair • A chair with 500 – 1,000 spikes would hold a victim and not allow them to escape. • The spikes would puncture the skin of the victim, but miss vital organs to allow them to die much slower.

9. The Boot • The victim’s feet would be chained inside the boot. • Hot water, molten metal or simply beating on the boot would cause tremendous pain until they died or passed out.

10. Foot Roasting • Feet were placed in the stockade which prevented them from being moved away from the torture. • When they needed a confession, they would put hot coals on the feet to get them to talk.

11. Pear of Anguish • This would be inserted into a hole in the victim’s body. • As the handled was turned, the device would open up and spread out inside the victim, causing mutilation and possibly death.

12. Neck Violin • The victim’s neck would be locked in the device and their arms tied up. • They would stay in this device until their argument was settled.

13. Knee Splitter • A knee was put in between the device and then crushed. • It could also be used on other parts like an elbow, but usually didn’t kill the victim.

14. The Head Crusher • The head would be squeezed together by turning the lever at the top. • This would crush the teeth, then the jaw and finally make the eyes pop out of the socket.

15. The Rack • The victim would be strapped down and essentially pulled apart. • They would have dislocated arms and legs, sometimes even making it so they were useless forever.

16. Spanish Donkey • The victim is stripped naked (usually) and tied to a wooden triangle elevated off the ground. • Weights were added to the legs to cause major pain in the groin area.

17. Brazen Bull • The victim is placed inside the metal or fireproof bull. • It was sealed and heated until the victim was cooked alive.

18. Coffin Torture • Victims were placed inside the device with little room to move. • Depending on the crime, the victim could spend hours, days or even die with birds and bugs living off of their flesh.

19. Tongue Tearer • The victim’s tongue would be clamped down on the device. • Once it was firmly in place, it would slowly rip out the tongue completely.

20. Scaphism • The victim would be placed in a box where their head and legs would be hanging out. • They would be force fed milk and honey so they would poop on themselves, thus causing insects to come and eat at them until they died.

21. Flaying • Arms were tied above the victim’s head and feet were tied below. • The torturer would use a small knife to cut layers of skin at a time, usually starting with the face.

22. Gridiron • The victim would be strapped down to something with slats. • Then there would be a fire lit underneath them until they burned to death. This is like grilling on a barbecue.

23. Breast Ripper • This was used to rip apart women’s breast. • Often a woman who has miscarried a child or committed adultery would have their breast mutilated by this device.

24. Crushing With Rocks • The victim would lie on the ground with a piece of wood across their chest. • Rocks would be applied to the wood until they were crushed to death.

25. Catherine Wheel • A victim would be tied to a wheel and beaten. • Often times their bones would break and ligaments would tear apart.

26. Crucifixion • A victim would be hung in the air on two pieces of cris-crossed wood. • They would be held up only by nails through the hands and feet, and sometimes whipped until they died.

27. Spanish Tickler • A victim was attached to a pole. • The torturer would use a long stick with a sharp end that looked like a claw to peel apart the skin a little at a time.

28. Neck Torture • The device would be put around the victim’s neck. • This would be left for days, restricting movement and causing a lot of pain.

29. Saw Torture • A person would be hung upside down to cause the blood to run to their head. • Then, they would be sawed in half from the groin region in order to die a slower death.

30. Thumb Screw Torture • The victim’s fingers were placed in the device and slowly crushed. • This wouldn’t kill a person and it could also be used to crush the toes.