Let's start with torture, which can rightfully be included in the top twenty of the most inhumane abuses of people. The torture of the Inquisition included this method of punishing sinful people. In the Middle Ages, resorting to this cruel looking torture, the church punished sinners who were exposed in love for the same sex, for example, woman with woman or man with man. This type of love and relationship was considered blasphemy and a desecration of the church of God, so these people faced terrible punishment.
Instruments of torture of this type were pear-shaped. Accused women who were blasphemers had a “pear” placed in their vaginas, and men who were sinners were placed in their vaginas. anus or mouth. After the weapon was inserted into the victim's body, the executioner began the second stage of torture, which consisted of making the person suffer terribly after gradually, when unscrewing the screw, the sharp leaves of the pear opened inside the flesh. Opening up, the pear tore the internal organs of a woman or man into pieces. Fatal outcome occurred because the victim was losing large number blood, or from the deformation of internal organs caused by the opening of the deadly killer pear.
2. Punishing the guilty with the help of rats
This is one of the most brutal torture in the history of mankind, which was invented in China, and was especially popular among the Inquisition in the 16th century. The victim experienced terrible torment. The main instrument of torture was rats. The person was placed on a large table; in the area of the womb, a fairly heavy cage filled with rats was placed, which had to be hungry. Of course, this is far from the end: then the bottom of the cage was removed, after which the rats ended up on the victim’s belly, at the same time hot coals were laid on the top of the cage, the rats got scared from the heat and, trying to escape from the cage, gnawed at the person’s belly, so way of escaping. People died in terrible agony.
3. Torture with metal
The most terrible tortures do not end there. Next of the 20 most cruel tortures in the world, we present the brutal punishment of the victim with metal. The essence of the torture is that a piece of lead or iron was placed into a person’s body in a deep, but not very large incision, after which the wound on the body was sewn up. After this, the metal began to poison the victim’s body, as it oxidized. This type of torture was often used in the Middle Ages by the “pious” Inquisition.
4.Death by air
Torture that deprived the victim of blood was an ancient form of punishment that was resorted to in the territory of Kievan Rus. The human body was pumped with air using bellows through the anus. The victim was practically inflated like a balloon, after covering his nose, mouth and ears with cotton. After the thief was inflated (this type of punishment was often applied to thieves), the anus was closed with a cloth. After this, the skin was cut above the eyebrows; under pressure, blood flowed out of the victim in the area of the cuts. The man died from blood loss.
5. Hellish torture comes from the East - count
Instruments of torture have always been cruel and brought a lot of suffering to the victim, but the stake was classified as one of the most savage, cruel and painful punishments known in the world. The accused was placed in a stomach-down position, without being given any opportunity to move. Next, a sharpened stake was practically driven through the anus of the victim, after which he was seated and, under the weight of the convict’s body, the sharpened stake pierced the body in the area of the armpits or ribs. Death came in terrible agony.
6. Spanish armchair
The Inquisition played the role of an executioner in the Middle Ages; its imagination created many terrible methods, one of which was the Spanish chair, which forced more than one person to suffer. The instrument of torture was made of metal, the condemned man was placed on it, his legs were fixed in stocks that were attached to the legs of the chair itself. After fixing the prisoner on a chair, hot coal was placed under his feet, on which the limbs were supposed to slowly roast, while the executioner constantly sprinkled the victim’s legs with oil. It’s even scary to imagine what kind of torment people who were in the Spanish chair of the Inquisition had to experience.
7. Witch Bathing Chair
Witch bathing chair - what is the essence of this torture?
The accused was fixed on the chair using ropes, then the chair was hooked onto a long stick and periodically lowered into the water for a certain period of time. This torture was not carried out in all seasons of the year, but only in the cold season (autumn - winter). If it was winter, then they made a hole for a chair with a sinner; the inquisitors could amuse themselves for several days, torturing him with such a dipping. Ultimately, the accused suffocated underwater from lack of oxygen.
8. Saw
The essence of torture was the ability to keep the victim conscious and torture him for as long as possible so that the pain was constantly felt, bringing hellish torment. The saw is the Inquisition’s favorite method of torturing sinners. The person accused of committing sins was practically sawed into two parts, having previously placed the sinner in a head-down position, thereby making it possible to saturate the brain with oxygen, preventing the victim from losing consciousness during sawing to the diaphragm area. It’s scary to even imagine what a person felt when he was slowly sawed in half.
9. Gloomy rack
This instrument of torture is known in several forms: horizontal and vertical. If the vertical version was used on the victim, then the sinner was hooked under the ceiling, while twisting the joints, and weight was constantly added to the legs, stretching the body as much as possible. The use of a horizontal version of the rack ensured the rupture of the muscles and joints of the convict.
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I draw the attention of readers to the fact that historical heritage by no means forgotten, as evidenced by many museums around the world.
Not only has it not been forgotten, but it continues to improve at a new technological and psychological level. So it’s not evening yet. Gentlemen, it’s not evening yet.
In 1963, the CIA published the KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation manual for use during the Vietnam War. Includes specialized forms of interrogation, such as interrogation by electric shock, threat/fear, sensory deprivation, and isolation.
The second manual for conducting enhanced interrogation was the Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual, expanded and supplemented, for intelligence services in Latin American countries.
00. Propaganda
Perhaps the most subtle and insidious of all methods of “additional influence” was and remains propaganda. It can be considered a form of psychological torture. The beginning of modern "psychological attacks" was laid in the First World War. In the beginning, countries like Great Britain and Germany began to use propaganda as one of their effective weapons. At that time, the British had one of the most authoritative news systems in the world - and controlled most of the media.
Examples of British propaganda included the creation of pamphlets that were distributed from aircraft on the battlefields. The pamphlets contained information about various atrocities - both real and fake - allegedly committed by the German army against civilians. With drawings and caricatures.
The Germans were able to successfully use propaganda to force the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to declare jihad, or “holy war,” against the West. By the start of World War II, Adolf Hitler had adopted British propaganda methods and used them to influence the minds of the German people.
Recently I was sorting through my notes, which were left over from those distant times when, after finishing 8th grade, I went to medical school (I graduated from the institute later). In one of the notebooks I came across some rather interesting notes. There is a quick recording of a story that I heard from my grandfather (an old security officer). At that time he served in Turkestan, where he fought the Basmachi. The story interested me and, after jotting down a summary, I turned to the surgery teacher with a request to comment on it. Which is what she did (it turns out she also heard about this when she was a student herself), mentioning several similar cases throughout the story.
Thinking that it would be interesting to read for everyone who is interested in similar topics, I decided to post it here. Warning: Although everything stated here is true, do not try to use what is described in this article on yourself or anyone else. The outcome can be fatal.
*Note from the portal administration: it is strictly not recommended for the faint-hearted, pregnant, sensitive, squeamish - and especially CHILDREN - to read this story further!*
So, my grandfather served in the Cheka-NKVD and fought the Basmachi in Turkestan. He told me this story (and even let me look at some of his notes specifically on this case) around the end of the 70s, while being slightly under the driver’s hand. Apparently, the vodka loosened his tongue, because before that he didn’t talk much about his exploits (and there were many of them, which I learned about after his death). For the reasons stated below, I deliberately do not give the name of the village where this happened, since more than thirty years have passed, but I think that this is not so important.
This incident occurred in the early 30s, when the main forces of the Basmachi were liquidated, but individual detachments still continued to fight, terrorizing the district and killing individual representatives of Soviet power - mainly teachers or doctors.
They decided to open a hospital in this village. They found a suitable building, brought equipment, and soon a female doctor, Susanna Matveevna, arrived. At that time she was already about 60: short, very fat... But, according to her grandfather, she was still very energetic, despite her age and excessive plumpness. She quickly restored order, and after some time this hospital became known throughout the area. In addition to Susanna Matveevna, there were three more nurses.
It is necessary to note one more thing: the hospital stood on the outskirts of the village, and Susanna Matveevna lived next to it with a lonely elderly woman named Zukhra. Zukhra sometimes helped in the hospital, performing unskilled work (washing floors, whitewashing walls, doing laundry, etc.). The rest of the staff lived in the center of the village, in a dormitory, which was guarded by Red Army soldiers. Susanna Matveevna refused insistent requests to go to the dormitory, citing the fact that it was difficult for her to walk far, and so she could come there at any time if necessary.
Several months passed like this. There were no signs of trouble. And then one summer, Susanna Matveevna did not go to work in the morning. They waited for her for several hours, and then the nurses went to Zukhra’s house. They knocked, no one answered. Since the door was not locked, they entered the house and saw a bundle of blankets tied with ropes on the floor in the room. He tossed and turned and made guttural sounds. The women untied the ropes, unwound the blankets and saw Aunt Zukhra, as they called her. She was bound hand and foot, and her face was tightly tied with a thin towel from her chin to her eyes. When it was removed, it turned out that there was also a rag gag in his mouth. The women untied her and pulled out the plug from her mouth, which turned out to be women's silk pantaloons.
After catching her breath, Aunt Zukhra said that at night several Basmachi burst into the house, tied up both women, gagging them so quickly that they didn’t even have time to utter a word (for this they used clotheslines and Susanna Matveevna’s underwear, which she hung up in the evening after washing ), they put Susanna Matveevna in a large leather bag and took her with them, and they wrapped Zukhra in blankets and, tied with a rope, threw her on felts. Then the Basmachi galloped away.
A courier was immediately sent from the village with a dispatch, and by evening next day a hundred fighters led by grandfather (he was not yet a grandfather at that time, but the dashing Fedot Ivanovich) burst into the village.
The next morning they set out to search. It was clear that Susanna Matveevna was probably no longer alive, but the gang had to be found and eliminated. They galloped across the steppe all day, but found nothing. The second day of searches also turned out to be fruitless. With knowledge of the area, hiding in the foothills was not difficult. On the third day, continuing the search, someone noticed that on the opposite side of their route, scavengers were hovering in the sky above the steppe (that’s what my grandfather called them, but I don’t know what these birds are called scientifically). Just in case, we decided to go in that direction. We galloped and a few hours later saw the camel’s corpse. We came closer and were horrified. Grandfather said that this picture haunted him for a long time in nightmares.
The carcass of a camel lay on the ground. The animal was slaughtered, and after throwing out the entrails, the belly was emptied. After this, the belly was darned with dry veins, but at the same time a completely bald head stuck out from it, like from a bag. As they approached, the fighters saw that the woman’s head, sewn inside the camel, was wearing bladder with a hole for her nose so she can breathe. The bubble shriveled from the sun and clung tightly to the head, like a second skin. The Red Army soldiers realized that Susanna Matveevna was in front of them. They instantly ripped open the camel's belly and pulled her out. When they pulled it out, they saw that she was tied hand and foot with thin rawhide straps. They quickly cut them and began to soak the dried bladder with water. Susanna Matveevna was still warm, but she was no longer breathing. She apparently died less than an hour ago.
The bubble could not be removed. Seeing that nothing could be done to help her, the grandfather decided to wrap the body in a blanket and take it to the village in order to perform an autopsy to establish the cause of death. I remember he was also struck by her swollen belly. The decomposition should not have come so quickly, he said, but the stomach seemed simply huge, despite its natural fullness. It resembled a tightly inflated ball.
A few hours later we arrived in the village. Without waiting for the morning, he gathered all the medical staff with a military paramedic and ordered an autopsy to be performed. First of all, we steamed and pulled the bubble from the head. And they saw that Susanna Matveevna’s head was absolutely smoothly shaved (even her eyebrows turned out to be shaved and oiled: this was done to make it easier to tighten the bubble). The skin under the bubble acquired a bluish tint: the eyes bulged out of their sockets, and the woman’s entire face was distorted by a mask of incredible suffering. Next, from her mouth they took out a thin cloth stuffed tightly there like a wad, which for some reason smelled strongly of feces. When they unwrapped it, it turned out (from the embroidered marks) that these were her pantaloons of French silk (I quote, as I remembered from my grandfather’s notes). They were thoroughly saturated with liquid fecal matter. And then something happened that the doctors ran away with horror and screaming. The grandfather jumped up and said that he almost shit his pants himself (of course, he didn’t put it that way), because a snake’s head appeared from the deceased woman’s mouth and a long snake began to slowly crawl out.
The grandfather was not taken aback, pulled out a revolver and killed the snake with several shots. Upon examination, it turned out to be a runner about 2 meters long, the mouth of which was tightly sewn up with horsehair. A further autopsy showed that Susanna Matveevna had abrasions in the anus, the rectal ampulla was tightly packed with oiled cotton, and the intestines were completely empty and distended with air. It was clear that she had been subjected to some kind of painful torture, but no one knew what kind of torture.
Everything became clear a few days later, when the Red Army soldiers tracked down and destroyed a gang of Basmachi. Having surrendered, they made excuses and blamed one another, asking for mercy.
According to their story, everything happened as follows. The gang leader ordered a terrorist attack to intimidate the local population. Therefore, the Basmachi decided to kill the Russians who were building " new life" To do this, they were going to attack someone from the hospital. The choice fell on Susanna Matveevna, since it was much more difficult to capture other women from the medical staff. It was not difficult to kidnap her, who lived with lonely Zukhra.
At night, four people secretly approached Zukhra's hut. When they came across ropes with laundry hanging on them, they cut everything off and took the pantaloons to use as gags. Using a knife, they pulled back the door hook. They went inside and attacked the sleeping women. It was a matter of one minute to shut their mouths and tie them up. The women did not have time to make a sound. Then they put Susanna Matveevna into a leather bag that had been prepared in advance, and they wrapped Zukhra in cotton blankets and tied them with ropes and threw them on the floor. Having pulled the bag out into the street, the bandits threw it over the back of the horse and rode off.
Having brought the captive to the camp, they shook her out of the bag and began to decide what to do with her. It was decided to subject her to the shameful snake execution. To do this, they tore off the woman’s nightgown, took the gag out of her mouth, and tried to give her castor bean oil. At first the Basmachi used an ordinary mug, but Susanna Matveevna turned her head, clenched her jaws, and spat out the liquid. Then they plugged her nose with cotton and, inserting a perforated bull horn into her mouth and throwing her head back, poured a mug of castor bean oil into it ( castor oil– a strong laxative, also used for treating the skin). Since her nose was plugged and it became impossible to breathe otherwise, she had to swallow the liquid that was poured into her mouth.
After this, the Basmachi untied the strings of their pantaloons and pulled them down. Having torn off a large piece of fabric from the nightgown, they stuffed the rag into the woman's anus, after which they put pantaloons on her again. Then they gagged her again and again put her in a large leather bag, tying it around her neck so that her head remained outside, and left her alone in the yurt. After some time, the oil took effect, and Susanna Matveevna began to have severe diarrhea. Since the rectum was plugged and feces could not come out, she experienced severe pain, strained and moaned. Finally, under the pressure of feces and from pushing, the tampon popped out, and she managed to relieve herself.
All this time they did not bother her, only sometimes one of the Basmachi gave her water to drink after removing the gag (so that she would not die prematurely from dehydration). A day and a half later (it was night outside), they took her out into the street and, freeing her from the bag, stole her soaked in liquid feces pants and poured several buckets of water on the woman. They threw the dirty trousers into a bucket of water. Then they threw her onto a felt felt and several Basmachi pressed her so that she could not even move; one of the tormentors soaped her head and, while they held her, cut off all the hair on her body with a razor. Then they tied Susanna Matveevna’s hands behind her back with a wet rawhide belt, after which, bending her over, they spread her buttocks and inserted a large clay funnel into her anus.
Two Basmachi brought a small cauldron and a bag in which something was moving. Having untied the bag, they pulled out a large snake from there, and one of the Basmachi, pressing the snake’s head with a piece of felt, sewed up its mouth with horsehair. After that, they threw the snake into a cauldron and forced Susanna Matveevna onto it so that the snake was covered with a funnel. They brought a pile of coals from the fire on a sheet of iron, poured them into the back of the cauldron and began to fan them with small blacksmith bellows. Two basmachi held Susanna Matveevna by the shoulders, and two others held her legs. After a few minutes, the cauldron heated up, and the snake began to thrash about inside. Having no other way out, the reptile crawled through the neck of the funnel into Susanna Matveevna’s intestines. Since the snake was about 5 cm thick, the woman screamed in pain, but the Basmachi grabbed the pantaloons lying in the bucket and stuffed her mouth tightly, tightening the ties at the back of her head. Being wet, dirty and smelly, the cloth filled her mouth so tightly that she could not even move her tongue, much less spit it out. This in itself was a very painful torture.
The bandits waited a little, then, lifting the woman, they saw that the snake had completely disappeared into her intestines. Then one of the Basmachi inserted a bull's horn into her anus, from which she was given castor oil, and, attaching bellows to it, began to blow air into her body (probably to straighten the folds of the intestines and provide air to the snake so that it would not suffocate prematurely; In addition, blowing air into the intestines is extremely painful in itself). When the belly was swollen like a tight ball, the bellows were removed and the rectum was tightly stuffed with oiled cotton. (Inflating with air has long been known as torture in the East, see Al Masudi “Gold Mines and Placers of Gems”).
Then Susanna Matveevna was put on a camel and, tied to the saddle, was taken somewhere in the steppe. They drove like this for several hours. Arriving at right place(such that it could be detected), they dismounted. They slaughtered the camel, pulled out the entrails and put the bound Susanna Matveevna inside its belly, and the hole was tightly sewn up with tendons so that only her head stuck out (apparently one of the Basmachi had read Apuleius). Her head was oiled and covered with camel bladder tight, like a second skin. To prevent her from suffocating prematurely, a small hole was cut under her nostrils. After which the Basmachi galloped away.
One can only guess what happened next. The sun rose, the steppe became hot, the bubble, drying out, pulled his head tightly, causing terrible torment. The camel's body also became terribly hot. The straps that bound the arms and legs dried out and cut tightly into the body, causing severe pain.
As the temperature increased, the snake began to show activity, and since the intestines were inflated with air, it crawled through the intestines. Indescribable torment began (anyone who has ever had a colonoscopy will understand what I mean). The snake went all the way large intestine and through the bauhinium valve it penetrated into the thin one (since her mouth was sewn up, she could not bite or chew the intestines, but simply stupidly climbed forward). The passage of the reptile through the small intestine caused indescribable pain...
Finally, through the gatekeeper the reptile entered the stomach. While poking at the walls, she accidentally fell into the esophagus and, climbing up it, ran into a rag plug, which was held in place by a bubble that was tightly wrapped around her head and stuck to her face. This clogged her windpipe and caused suffocation. There the snake remained until they began to perform an autopsy and removed the barrier that prevented it from crawling out.
The Basmachi were put on trial, and they got what they deserved.
Anticipating questions, I will say: everything that is written here is true. I just made a small literary treatment of what my grandfather told me and what I read in his notes. I simply retold it in my own words, trying not to deviate one step from the original. The only thing is that I do not give some names here and do not indicate the location of the action. I do this deliberately, for ethical reasons. The fact is that perhaps the descendants of these Basmachi are alive. Then they were enemies, but now times have changed, and they have become heroes of the war for independence. Unfortunately, I do not have any documents left on this case. After the death of his grandfather, his wife gave everything to the museum, where they disappeared. So you'll have to take my word for it. I would really like to know about similar facts. If anyone has it, post it. It will be interesting to discuss them.
Sent dr Rendell.
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Inquisition(from lat. inquisitio- investigation, search), in catholic church a special church court for cases of heretics, which existed in the 13th-19th centuries. Back in 1184, Pope Lucius III and Emperor Frederick 1 Barbarossa established a strict procedure for the search by bishops of heretics and the investigation of their cases by episcopal courts. Secular authorities were obliged to carry out the death sentences they passed. The Inquisition as an institution was first discussed at the 4th Lateran Council (1215), convened by Pope Innocent III, which established a special process for the persecution of heretics (per inquisitionem), for which defamatory rumors were declared sufficient grounds. From 1231 to 1235, Pope Gregory IX, through a series of decrees, transferred the functions of persecuting heresies, previously performed by bishops, to special commissioners - inquisitors (initially appointed from among the Dominicans, and then the Franciscans). In a number of European states (Germany, France, etc.) inquisitorial tribunals were established, which were entrusted with investigating cases of heretics, pronouncing and executing sentences. This is how the establishment of the Inquisition was formalized. Members of the inquisitorial tribunals had personal immunity and immunity from the jurisdiction of local secular and ecclesiastical authorities and were directly dependent on the pope. Due to the secret and arbitrary proceedings, those accused by the Inquisition were deprived of all guarantees. Wide Application cruel torture, encouragement and reward of informers, the material interest of the Inquisition itself and the papacy, which received huge funds through the confiscation of the property of the convicted, made the Inquisition the scourge of Catholic countries. Those sentenced to death were usually handed over to secular power for burning at the stake (see Auto-da-fe). In the 16th century I. became one of the main weapons of the Counter-Reformation. In 1542, a supreme inquisitorial tribunal was established in Rome. Many outstanding scientists and thinkers (G. Bruno, G. Vanini, etc.) became victims of the Inquisition. The Inquisition was especially rampant in Spain (where from the end of the 15th century it was closely connected with royal power). In just 18 years of activity of the main Spanish inquisitor Torquemada (15th century), more than 10 thousand people were burned alive.
The tortures of the Inquisition were very varied. The cruelty and ingenuity of the inquisitors amazes the imagination. Some medieval instruments of torture have survived to this day, but most often even museum exhibits have been restored according to descriptions. We present to your attention a description of some famous instruments of torture.
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. Executioners often intensified the agony of the victim by lighting a fire under the seat. The iron chair quickly heated up, causing severe burns. During interrogation, the victim's limbs could be pierced using forceps or other instruments of torture. Similar chairs had various shapes and sizes, but all of them were equipped with spikes and means of immobilizing the victim.
rack-bed
This is one of the most common instruments of torture found in historical descriptions. The rack was used throughout Europe. Usually this tool was a large table with or without legs, on which the convict was forced to lie down, and his legs and arms were fixed with wooden blocks. Thus immobilized, the victim was "stretched", causing him unbearable pain, often until the muscles were torn. The rotating drum for tensioning the chains was not used in all versions of the rack, but only in the most ingenious “modernized” models. The executioner could cut into the victim's muscles to speed up the final rupture of the tissue. The victim's body stretched more than 30 cm before exploding. Sometimes the victim was tied tightly to the rack to make it easier to use other methods of torture, such as pincers for pinching nipples and other sensitive parts of the body, cauterization with a hot iron, etc.
This is by far the most common torture and was initially often used in legal proceedings as it was considered a mild form of torture. The defendant's hands were tied behind his back, and the other end of the rope was thrown over the winch ring. The victim was either left in this position or the rope was pulled strongly and continuously. Often, additional weights were tied to the victim's notes, and the body was torn with tongs, such as a "witch spider", to make the torture less gentle. The judges thought that witches knew many ways of witchcraft, which allowed them to calmly endure torture, so it was not always possible to obtain a confession. We can refer to a series of trials in Munich at the beginning of the 17th century involving eleven people. Six of them were constantly tortured with an iron boot, one of the women had her chest dismembered, the next five were wheeled, and one was impaled. They, in turn, reported on another twenty-one people, who were immediately interrogated in Tetenwang. Among the new accused was one very respectable family. The father died in prison, the mother, after being tested on the rack eleven times, confessed to everything she was accused of. The daughter, Agnes, twenty-one years old, stoically endured the ordeal on the rack with additional weight, but did not admit her guilt, and only said that she forgave her executioners and accusers. It was only after several days of continuous ordeal in the torture chamber that she was told of her mother's full confession. After attempting suicide, she confessed to all the terrible crimes, including cohabiting with the Devil from the age of eight, devouring the hearts of thirty people, participating in the Sabbath, causing a storm and denying the Lord. Mother and daughter were sentenced to be burned at the stake.
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.
The "chair of the inquisition", known as the "witch's chair", was highly valued as a good remedy against silent women accused of witchcraft. This common instrument 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, but not confessing to the crime.
According to the inventor, Ippolito Marsili, the introduction of the Vigil marked a turning point in the history of torture. Modern system obtaining a confession does not involve causing bodily harm. There are no broken vertebrae, twisted ankles, or shattered joints; the only substance that suffers is the victim's nerves. The idea of the torture was to keep the victim awake for as long as possible, a kind of insomnia torture. But the Vigil, which was not initially viewed as cruel torture, took various, sometimes extremely cruel, forms.
The victim was raised to the top of the pyramid and then gradually lowered. The top of the pyramid was supposed to penetrate the area of the anus, testicles or coccyx, and if a woman was tortured, then the vagina. The pain was so severe that the accused often lost consciousness. If this happened, the procedure was delayed until the victim woke up. In Germany, “vigil torture” was called “cradle guarding.”
This torture is very similar to the “vigil torture.” The difference is that the main element of the device is a pointed wedge-shaped corner made of metal or hardwood. The interrogated person was suspended over acute angle, so that this angle rests against the crotch. A variation of the use of the "donkey" is to tie a weight to the legs of the interrogated person, tied and fixed at a sharp angle.
A simplified form of the “Spanish Donkey” can be considered a stretched rigid rope or a metal cable called a “Mare”, more often this type of weapon is used on women. The rope stretched between the legs is lifted as high as possible and the genitals are rubbed until they bleed. The rope type of torture is quite effective as it is applied to the most sensitive parts of the body.
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 whatever they wanted from their point of view. suitable remedy to get 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 the cycle continued.
In order to in the best possible way To perform this torture procedure, 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, calling internal damage, and then inserted again, and the process was repeated. Sometimes torture was used cold water. In this case, the accused lay naked on the table for hours under the spray. ice water. 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.
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.
Wheeling
A person sentenced to be wheeled was broken with an iron crowbar or wheel, all the large bones of the body, then he was tied to a large wheel, and the wheel was placed on a pole. The condemned person found himself face up, looking at the sky, and died this way from shock and dehydration, often for quite a long time. The suffering of the dying man was aggravated by the birds pecking at him. Sometimes, instead of a wheel, they simply used a wooden frame or a cross made of logs.
Vertically mounted wheels were also used for wheeling.
Wheeling is a very popular system of both torture and execution. It was used only when accused of witchcraft. Typically the procedure was divided into two phases, both of which were quite painful. The first consisted of breaking most of the bones and joints with the help of a small wheel called a crushing wheel, equipped on the outside with many spikes. The second was designed in case of execution. It was assumed that the victim, broken and mutilated in this way, would literally, like a rope, slide between the spokes of a wheel onto a long pole, where he would remain to await death. A popular version of this execution combined wheeling and burning at the stake - in this case, death occurred quickly. The procedure was described in the materials of one of the trials in Tyrol. In 1614, a tramp named Wolfgang Zellweiser from Gastein, found guilty of intercourse with the devil and sending a storm, was sentenced by the court of Leinz to both be thrown on the wheel and burned at the stake.
Limb press or “Knee crusher”
A variety of devices for crushing and breaking joints, both knee and elbow. Numerous steel teeth, penetrating inside the body, caused terrible puncture wounds, due to which the victim was bleeding.
The “Spanish boot” was a kind of manifestation of “engineering genius”, since the judicial authorities during the Middle Ages made sure that the best craftsmen created more and more advanced devices that made it possible to weaken the will of the prisoner and achieve recognition faster and easier. The metal “Spanish Boot,” equipped with a system of screws, gradually compressed the victim’s lower leg until the bones were broken.
The Iron Shoe is a close relative of the Spanish Boot. In this case, the executioner “worked” not with the lower leg, but with the foot of the interrogated person. Using the device too hard usually resulted in broken tarsus, metatarsus, and toe bones.
This medieval device, it should be noted, was highly valued, especially in northern Germany. Its function was quite simple: the victim's chin was placed on a wooden or iron support, and the cap of the device was screwed onto the victim's head. First, the teeth and jaws were crushed, then, as the pressure increased, brain tissue began to flow out of the skull. Over time, this instrument lost its significance as a murder weapon and became widespread as an instrument of torture. Despite the fact that both the cover of the device and the lower support are lined with a soft material that does not leave any marks on the victim, the device brings the prisoner into a state of “readiness to cooperate” after just a few turns of the screw.
The 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 punishment period 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 comparatively in a gentle way punishment in which the guilty 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 with a word or action, spit at them or throw a stone - quiet treatment, the cause of which could be popular indignation or personal enmity, sometimes led to injury or even the death of the convicted person.
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 laws governing torture only allowed the Throne to be used once during interrogation. But most judges circumvented this rule by simply calling the next session a continuation of the same first one. Using "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, prisoners were also tortured with water and a hot iron.
It could be wooden or iron, for one or two women. It was an instrument of mild torture, with rather psychological and symbolic meaning. There is no documented evidence that the use of this device resulted in physical injury. It was applied mainly to those guilty of slander or insult to personality; the victim’s arms and neck were secured in small holes, so that the punished woman found herself in a prayer position. One can imagine the victim's suffering from poor circulation and pain in the elbows when the device was put on long term, sometimes for several days.
A brutal instrument used to restrain a criminal in a cross-like position. It is credible that the Cross was invented in Austria in the 16th and 17th centuries. This follows from the book “Justice in Old Times” from the collection of the Museum of Justice in Rottenburg ob der Tauber (Germany). A very similar model, which was located in the tower of a castle in Salzburg (Austria), is mentioned in one of the most detailed descriptions.
The suicide bomber was seated on a chair with his hands tied behind his back, and an iron collar rigidly fixed the position of his head. During the execution process, the executioner tightened the screw, and the iron wedge slowly entered the skull of the condemned man, leading to his death.
Neck trap - ring with nails on inside and with a device resembling a trap on the outside. Any prisoner who tried to hide in the crowd could be easily stopped using this device. After being caught by the neck, he could no longer free himself, and he was forced to follow the overseer without fear that he would resist.
This instrument really resembled a double-sided steel fork with four sharp spikes piercing the body under the chin and in the sternum area. It was tightly fastened with a leather belt to the criminal's neck. This type of fork was used in trials for heresy and witchcraft. Penetrating deeply into the flesh, it caused pain with any attempt to move the head and allowed the victim to speak only in an unintelligible, barely audible voice. Sometimes the Latin inscription “I renounce” could be read on the fork.
The instrument was used to stop the victim's shrill screams, which bothered the inquisitors and interfered with their conversation with each other. The iron tube inside the ring was pushed tightly into the victim's throat, and the collar was locked with a bolt at the back of the head. The hole allowed air to pass through, but if desired, it could be plugged with a finger and cause suffocation. This device was often used in relation to those sentenced to be burned at the stake, especially in the large public ceremony called Auto-da-Fé, when heretics were burned by the dozen. The iron gag made it possible to avoid a situation where convicts drown out spiritual music with their screams. Giordano Bruno, guilty of being too progressive, was burned in Rome in the Campo dei Fiori in 1600 with an iron gag in his mouth. The gag was equipped with two spikes, one of which, piercing the tongue, came out under the chin, and the second crushed the roof of the mouth.
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.
Women who had sinned through abortion or adultery had a chance to become acquainted with this subject. Having heated its sharp teeth white-hot, the executioner tore the victim's chest into pieces. In some areas of France and Germany, until the 19th century, this instrument was called the “Tarantula” or “Spanish Spider”.
This device was inserted into the mouth, anus or vagina, and when the screw was tightened, the pear segments opened as much as possible. As a result of this torture, internal organs were seriously damaged, often leading to death. When opened, the sharp ends of the segments dug into the wall of the rectum, pharynx or cervix. This torture was intended for homosexuals, blasphemers and women who had abortions or sinned with the Devil.
Cells
Even if the space between the bars was sufficient to push the victim into it, there was no chance for it to get out, since the cage was hung very high. Often the size of the hole at the bottom of the cage was such that the victim could easily fall out of it and break. The anticipation of such an end aggravated the suffering. Sometimes the sinner in this cage, suspended from a long pole, was lowered under water. In the heat, the sinner could be hung in it in the sun for as many days as he could endure without a drop of water to drink. There are known cases when prisoners, deprived of food and drink, died in such cells from hunger and their dried remains terrified their fellow sufferers.
Many unfortunate people throughout the history of mankind have experienced all the horrors of torture, but the worst thing is not that these terrible methods of torturing people existed. What’s worse is how sophisticated the authors of torture were, wanting to inflict maximum torture on their victims.
1. Sitting in the bathtub
The convict was seated in a tub, from which only his head protruded. Afterwards, the executioner smeared the unfortunate man’s face with milk and honey so that flies would fly to him. The victim was also given food regularly. Ultimately, the man essentially bathed in his own excrement and rotted alive, while his flesh was eaten by flies and worms.
2. Copper bull
The Copper Bull, also known as the Sicilian Bull, was designed by the ancient Greeks. It is a copper structure, hollow inside, and with a door on one side. Through the latter, a person was placed inside the bull. After the doors were closed, a fire was lit under the structure. The bull became white-hot, the victim screamed in a voice that was not his own, and these screams resembled a bull’s roar.
This was Vlad the Impaler's favorite method of torture. The stick was sharpened and driven into the ground, and the condemned man was placed on the tip. Under the weight of its own weight, the victim gradually slid down the stake and pierced his internal organs. Death did not occur immediately when impaled. Some died for three days. And this gave Vlad special pleasure. Once he executed 20 thousand people and calmly watched their torment while enjoying his meal.
4. Heretic's Fork
The torture device consists of a metal bar with forks at the ends. One end was placed under the chin, and the other on the collarbone. The fork was attached to the neck with a strap. The victims were not supposed to fall asleep. As soon as they were eaten, the head dropped, and the fork pierced the throat and chest.
A very humiliating and painful form of torture. A collar made of metal and wood was placed around the victim's neck. After this, for several days the person could not lie down, lower his head, or eat. Otherwise, sharp thorns would pierce his throat.
This is one of the most famous tortures and is still practiced in some countries to this day. It consists of tying or nailing a person’s limbs to wooden cross. After this, the unfortunate man is left hanging on fresh air without food or water, almost naked. Death as a result of crucifixion does not occur quickly. It takes several agonizing days to become exhausted.
Instrument of torture - pyramid on tall legs. The convict was placed with his crotch on the point and tied by his limbs. The man sank deeper and deeper into the cone under the weight of his own weight. At night he was removed from the pyramid and left in limbo to bleed, and the next morning the torture continued. Death occurred within a few days, and was often caused by infection - no one had ever washed the tip of the cone.
8. Sprinkler
As a rule, molten lead, boiling water, resin or hot oil were poured inside the weapon. Afterwards, the mace was attached in such a way that its contents would drip onto the victim’s stomach or eyes.
A cabinet with a hinged front wall and a huge number of spikes on the lid. A person was placed inside the maiden, and when the lid was closed, he practically could not move - every movement brought hellish pain.
10. Torture Coffin
A favorite method of torture during the Middle Ages. It consisted in the fact that the victim was placed inside a cage the size of human body. Fat people deliberately placed in smaller cages. The closed “coffin” was hung from a tree and left outside to be devoured by birds and animals.
There are many different types this instrument of torture, but the principle of operation of all of them is the same. The vice is intended for crushing fingers and toes, knees, and elbows. There is even a vice for the skull. During the Middle Ages, this method of torture was very popular.
12. Torture with rope
Rope is the simplest, but multifunctional instrument of torture. People have found many uses for it. The rope was used on gallows. The victims were tied to trees with ropes and left to be torn to pieces. wild animals. The rope was also used to attach the limbs of the unfortunate to horses, which were subsequently allowed to run away. different sides, and the man was torn to pieces.
13. Pear of suffering
Another terrible instrument of torture was a pear with petals that opened when the screw was tightened. The pear was inserted into the mouth or anus of the victim (for girls, often into the vagina) and the screw was tightened gradually, thereby tearing the internal organs. The victim died a long, painful death.
This is one of the most painful and terrible torture in the Middle Ages. The weapon is a frame with ropes. The victim was tied and placed on a platform. After this, the executioner began to turn the handle, which pulled out the ropes tied to the victim’s limbs. As a result, bones broke, muscles tore, joints popped out. But even after this, the executioners continued to stretch the ropes until the victim’s limbs were torn from the body.
Huge scissors easily cut out people's tongues. The mouth was opened forcibly for the “procedure” using special stretchers.
For some, being in the same room with rats is already torture. The essence of this method is that a cage with rodents without one wall is placed on the victim’s body. After attaching the structure, it began to be heated from the other side, and the rats, trying to escape from the heat, gnawed their way to freedom through the person.
17. Torture chair
Or the Judas chair. There are from 500 to 1500 spines on its surface. The victim is held in a chair using rigid straps. Sometimes a heat source was placed under the chair. The torture chair was often used for intimidation, and it caused many to “split.”
18. Cement boots
The method was invented by the American mafia. When mafiosi executed their enemies, they poured cement into their feet. As soon as the latter hardened, the person was thrown into the river.
19. Bib tongs
Women were subjected to the same torture methods as men. But this weapon was created specifically for them. The tongs pierced the flesh and were pulled out or slowly pulled out. Death occurred as a result of severe blood loss.
20. Crocodile scissors
They were used to execute those who rebelled against the king and tried to kill the monarch. Before crushing and cutting off the victim's testicles, the scissors were heated.
A popular torture during the French Revolution. The victims are a man and a woman. They were stripped naked, tied up and left to drown in this form.
Catherine's Wheel allowed the victim to be killed excruciatingly slowly. The unfortunate man was tied to the weapon and began to slowly rotate. At this moment, the executioner struck the limbs with a hammer. When all the bones were broken, the still living victim with the wheel was lifted onto a high pole, where birds could feed on his flesh.
23. Spanish donkey
The naked victim was laid astride a structure made of wooden planks with a blade on top. Weights are tied to the martyr's limbs. The weight increases until the blade cuts through the flesh.
24. Sawing
The victim was hung upside down so that the blood would flow to the head and she would remain conscious longer. After this, the unfortunate man began to be sawed in half from the crotch. Many were cut only to the stomach in order to intensify the torment and prolong the agony.
25. Suspended, recessed, dismembered
For high treason in England during the Middle Ages, a person was hanged, drowned and quartered in public. The victim was placed in an execution frame. After this, the accused was strangled until he was half to death, castrated and his genitals were burned in front of his own eyes, and at the end they were quartered and his head was cut off.
Torture and execution were commonplace in the Middle Ages and were used for a wide range of violations and crimes, including even minor infractions.
Welded alive
Boiling alive is a very slow and painful torture. It was not as widespread as other methods of this type, but was used in both Asia and Europe for two thousand years. Historical literature talks about three types of this execution: in the first case, a person was lowered into a boiling cauldron with boiling water, tar, and oil. Basically, according to the laws of the Hansa, this was how they dealt with counterfeiters. This set of laws did not give any privileges to the female half of society - in the 15th century in the city of Lübeck, Margaret Grimm was thrown into boiling tar alive for selling several counterfeit coins. This method was considered very merciful - people instantly lost consciousness from shock and piercing pain with a large burn on almost the entire surface of your body.In the second type of torture, a pre-tied condemned person was placed in a huge cauldron with cool liquid, but in this case water was mainly used. The executioner lit a fire under this cauldron so that the water slowly began to boil. During such torture, the convict remained aware of everything that was happening and suffered terribly and greatly for up to two hours.
But there was also the most painful third type - they took a woman, tied her up and placed her over a bubbling cauldron of liquid, then began to slowly lower her there so that her body would slowly cook for several painful times. During the reign of Genghis Khan, this was the most famous, popular and protracted form of torture and execution. In those days, these tortures could last about one, or even one and a half days. During all this, the doomed person was taken out of the cauldron and poured with cold water, which led to the flesh of the sufferer peeling off from the bones, although the person was still alive all this time and could feel all this.
