Medieval Torture
During the Middle Ages, torture was a very common way to punish offenders. Following are the most common
torture devices used during the Middle Ages. Viewer discretion is advised.
Introduction - Read the introduction to medieval torture before heading to the torture instruments.
Judas Cradle - The Judas Cradle is a very painful torture. The victim was seated on a triangular-shaped seat
where he or she was slowly impaled.
Coffin Torture - The coffin torture - a very cruel medieval device where the victim was locked for hours or
longer.
The Brazen Bull - The brazen bull was a terrible torture device used in ancient Greece and throughout the
Middle Ages.
The Rack Torture - The rack is commonly referred as the most painful medieval torture of them all.
The Water Torture - There were many ways to punish a victim with the use of water. This article explains the
most common forms of such torture.
Exposure - A terrible torture that was often deadly. The exposure was a method used all around medieval
Europe. The sentence depended on the crime.
The Chair of Torture - A striking instrument, the Chair was widely used throughout medieval Europe and
beyond. It's origins are not clear, but the truth remains: This is one of the most painful and psychologically
striking tortures ever devised by the human mind.
The Pear of Anguish - A very painful torture applied almost exclusively on witches, liars, blasphemers and
homosexuals.
The Rat Torture - Rats were used for torture. They were free, available and painful if known how to use.
The Breast Ripper - A very cruel form of torture was the Breast Ripper. A variant, The Spider, was similarly
painful and frequently fatal.
The Head Crusher - The head crusher was a psychologically striking instrument that was mainly used to
extract confessions.
Saw Torture - The Saw was a humiliating and painful torture available everywhere.
The Virgin of Nuremberg (The Maiden) - The Maiden, also known as the Virgin of Nuremberg, was a torture
device that consisted of a coffin with the face of a maiden full of spikes on every wall.
The Spanish Tickler - A terrible torture used to tear a victim's flesh apart. It was commonly used in Spain.
Garrotte Torture - The Garrotte was mostly used for executions and was very frequently used in Spain, hence
its name.
Flagellation (Whipping) - Describes the act of flagellation or whipping. Its use was very common in Ancient
Rome, but it was stil a favorite form of punishment during the Middle Ages.
The Wheel Torture (Breaking Wheel) - The Wheel torture was a very painful form of capital punishment.
Death could be prolonged to a day or more.
Foot Roasting - Foot roasting was used in the Middle Ages to extract confessions. The Templar Knights,
among many other orders, were tortured with this same method.
Burning at the Stake - Being burned at the stake was a terrible way to die. It could take several hours for
death to occur and the causes of death were diverse.
Thumbscrew Torture - A painful torture mostly used to extract confessions before moving to more painful
torture methods.
The Heretics Fork - A painful torture used to restrain a victim. It was used throughout the Middle Ages, but it
reached its peak during the Spanish Inquisition.
Flaying Torture - A very old and painful method that consists of "skinning" a person alive.
Lead Sprinkler - The lead sprinkler was used to torture victims by pouring molten metals in different parts of
their body.
Knee Splitter - Used for destroying body parts, the knee splitter was a terrifying torture device that could even
bring death.
The Spanish Spider - A variant of the breast ripper, the Spanish Spider is an instrument capable of mutilating
a woman's breasts.
Pillory Torture - A mild form of punishment, the pillory was frequently used in the medieval world.
Crocodile Tube - The crocodile tube was used to kill or extract confessions. It was one of the cruelest torture
devices ever used on human beings.
The Brank - The Brank was used to humiliate women who "broke the public order" through gossip or other
means.
Crocodile Shears - A torture method reserved for regicides.
Toe Wedging - A "light" torture method, used exclusively to extract confessions.
The Copper Boot - The victim's feet were secured into the copper boot where the torturer could choose one of
several variants to torture or even kill the victim.
The Pendulum - Used to dislocate the victim's shoulders, the pendulum was not a lethal torture, but rather a
psychological one used to extract confessions before permanently impairing the victim.
The Street Sweeper's Daughter - This very cruel device was used to humiliate victims and even lead them to
madness.
From http://www.medievality.com/torture.html