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Medieval Torture Instruments
By Joy J. Fine
Medieval torture was something that was used both as punishment for a crime believed to be committed as well as being commonly used as a technique to get information or confessions. This method with used by everyone in power especially those working to spread Christianity across Europe. They believed that there cause was a just one and that anyone who spoke against it must be stopped immediately. The Pope gave permission for these agonizing methods to be used to cause pain, to stop any threat to their religious movement. But they were not the only ones, secular courts were just as brutal, and it did not take long before the poor souls being tortured would confess to whatever was demanded of them even if they had nothing to do with the crime they were accused of.
The medieval torture instruments used were varied, but they were all designed to inflict great pain. Some were used to get confessions while others were used as punishment. They were designed to inflict pain and most often a slow death. One of these used to get a confession was called the head crusher. The person’s chin was set on a bar and a cap was placed over their head that had a screw to turn on top of it. The screw was tightened gradually pulling the bar up towards the cap. The pain was intense and most people would confess quickly. For those who did not their teeth would break into their mouths, and their eyes could pop out of their sockets. Even if the torture was stopped because the victim choose to confess, the damage already done could be extensive enough to leave the person with sight problems, mouth and eating issues or even brain damage. This torture was so horrible that the device often had a tray to catch the eyeballs if they popped out.
The knee splitter was another method used in the middle ages to make someone talk. It was used to split the bones of the knees, elbows or any other area of the body where the splitter could be attached then the handle turned until irreparable damage was done. The skin would be ripped into and the bones broken. One more medieval torture was called foot burning. It was used to get confessions from those whose crimes were considered minor. The person’s feet were locked into a wooden stock. Then hot coals would be placed under their feet. Struggle as the prisoner might they would be unable to extract their feet from the terrible heat. During the interrogation process a cover was put over the coals to give momentary relief. This easing off of the heat often convinced the prisoner that they did not want to feel the burning again and so they would confess to whatever was asked of them. If they did not the skin on their feet could be completely burned off, the bones could also be damaged. If the prisoner did not confess more terrible tortures might be the next step.
The thumbscrew was also a torture device that was used as a first step in the torture process. It would be used on the fingers or toes and would gradually crush them as the device was tightened. It was extremely painful and often would convince someone to confess instead of enduring the cracking of their fingers. Other possible tortures included being placed in the pillory and beaten in public, the rack which pulled a victim’s body from two ends, the Judas cradle where the prisoner was slowly impaled as they sat or the rat torture where the victim literarily had their insides ripped into by a rat trying to escape into their body. No matter which medieval torture was used the poor victims, even if they did confess, rarely survived.
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