Torture has been used as a method of interrogation and punishment since the ancient times. While there is no evidence that torture is a reliable method of interrogation, it was widely used, especially during the Middle Ages. One of the major steps against the use of torture was taken after Cesare Beccaria wrote On Crimes and Punishments in 1764, criticizing the use of torture and capital punishment. This highly influential book led to a number of reforms around Europe. In 1987, the United Nations Convention Against Torture prohibited the use of torture, still it has been used until today. These are some of the most painful torture techniques from the Middle Ages:
1. Knee Splitter
This was a crushing device popular during the Spanish Inquisition. The knees would be placed between the spikes, then the screws would be turned, crushing the victim's knee. The purpose of this device was not to kill the person, but to render the knee useless. The splitter could also be used in other parts of the body, and the amount of spikes ranged from three to twenty.
2. Judas Cradle
This method was created during the Spanish Inquisition, and it was used throughout Europe. The torture consisted of placing the victim naked with their anus or vagina on the top of the pyramid. The person would be tied with ropes that would be slowly lowered, and sometimes they would tie weights to the legs to increase the pain. This could last from a few hours to several days. The pyramid was never washed, so if torture didn't kill the victim, the infection would.
3. Saw Torture
This was a method of torture and execution. The victim would be hung upside down (so more blood would flow to the brain), then the torturer would saw the victim in half. This could last for hours, and many times the victims were cut up until their abdomen to delay their death, prolonging their suffering.
4. The Rack
The rack was one of the main torture devices used during the Spanish Inquisition. It consisted of a rectangular wooden structure with a roller in each end. The victim's feet would be tied to one roller and the hands would be tied to the other roller. The torturer would then turn the handles, dislocating bones and sometimes pulling limbs apart. The rack was used to obtain confessions, not to kill the victim.
5. The Brazen Bull
This is a method developed in ancient Greece. It consists of a hollow bull made entirely of bronze, with a door. The victim would then be locked inside the bull, with fire burning below it. The person would be roasted to death, and an acoustic system made the victim's screams sound like a real bull. This device was used during the Middle Ages in Central Europe. According to a Greek historian, the creator of the Brazen Bull was Perillos of Athens, who proposed it to Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas. Once the Bull was finished, Phalaris ordered Perillos to test the device himself.
6. Spanish Donkey
Also known as wooden horse, this device was used during the Middle Ages, in the American colonial period and in the American Civil War. The naked victim was placed over the sharp wedge of a triangle. The torturer would then tie weights to the feet to increase the pain and prevent the victim from falling off. The torturer would keep adding weights, until the wedge sliced the victim's body in half.
7. Head Crusher
This crushing device was used by the Spanish Inquisition. The victim's chin would be placed on the lower bar, with the metal cap over the head. The torturer would then turn the screws, slowly crushing the victim's head. This was used to obtain confessions, but it caused permanent damage.
8. The Breaking Wheel
Also known as the Catherine Wheel, this was a torture device popular across Europe from classical times until modern times. The victim was tied to the wheel, which was slowly turned. While the wheel turned, the torturer would beat the victim with an iron hammer. The victim could be left to die of dehydration on the wheel, or the torture could give a coup de grâce (a fatal blow).
9. Impalement
The victim was forced to sit on the top of the pole, which was then raised, piercing the victim's body. This was a slow and painful death, it could take up to three days for the victim to die. Impalement was the favorite method of execution of Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler. He is believed to have impaled 20,000 people.
10. Rats Torture
This gruesome method consisted of forcing a rat to eat the victim alive. This could be done in different ways. One way was to place a cage with an open side over the victim's abdomen. The rat would be inside the cage, which would be heated, so the only way for the rat to escape was through the victim's body. Another way was to cut the victim's body and then place starving rats in the slits. These methods usually resulted in the victim's death after a few hours.
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