Punishment
Throughout the medieval period it was believed that the only way to keep order was to make sure that the people were scared of the punishments for the crimes they committed.
The wheel
The Wheel or Breaking Wheel where the unfortunate victim had his limbs systematically broken. Catherine wheel or breaking wheel, an instrument of execution often associated with Saint atherine of Alexandria and adopted as one of the European execution methods.
Quartering
Quartering was where the legs and arms were separately tied to four horses and as each horse moved away the body would be
torn to bits.
Hanging
Prisoners were hung and died either by breaking their necks or by choking to death.
Burning
they were chained to a stake surrounded by wood which was set alight at the point of execution and the person suffered the agonising pain of being burnt to death.
Pressing
they were crushed to death as heavy objects were slowly put on top of their bodies.
Decapitation
The prisoners were sentenced to having their head cut off their body.
Hung, Drawn and Quartered
the criminal was hanged till they were half dead, and then taken down, quartered alive. After that, their members and bowels were cut from their bodies, and thrown into a fire, while they were still alive. They would finally be killed by decapitation.
Boiling to Death
Prisoners were boiled to death in a huge cauldron.
The Head Crusher
The head crusher was a torture device used in the medieval period. The chin of was placed on the flat base bar and the over the head of the person a dome shaped metal cap would compress and tighten. As the screw of the device was turned the metal cap would compress the person’s head first shattering the teeth and jawbone, and then squeezing eyes from their sockets. Eventually the clamped metal cap would fracture the skull.
The
Rack
The rack was a torture device used when Plantagenet Kings ruled England during the medieval period. This tool was rectangular in shape and had a wooden frame with single or dual rollers at the ends. One end of this torture instrument had fixed bar to fasten the
victims legs, while the other end had a movable bar where the victims hands were tied. As the handle would be moved slowly the ropes would exert pressure pulling the victims arms and legs and eventually dislocate the victim’s bones from sockets causing excruciating pain. Later in the middle ages variants with spikes on the platform where the victim lay came into existence.
Scavenger’s Daughter
This torture instrument came into existence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. This was a compression torture device as opposed to stretching torture instrument which was exceedingly popular popular then. The elongated device compressed the victim’s body in a low crouching kneel-down position. As grip of this device would tighten on a person it would cause blood to gush out through the victim’s ear and nose.
Choke
Pear
The Choke Pear was one of the worst torture devices used in the middle ages. This torture instrument design consisted of 4 arms that separated when the screw was turned. Liars, women that got abortions and homosexuals were punished using this torture device. The torturer would screw the top which would cause the arms to expand and tear flesh. This form of torture caused death but was often followed up by other painful torture methods.
Knee
Splitter
The knee splitter was a torture device that was used to crush and split a victims knees. Two wooden blocks with spikes and large screws formed the device. With one wooden arm placed behind the knee and the other in front, the torturer would slowly tighten the handle. This would tighten the grip of the two spiked wooden claws penetrating skin and shattering the knee bone. This device was also used by on other body parts such as arms, elbows, and shins.
The Coffin
The Coffin was a torture instrument made from metal. the victim would placed in this cramped metal cage. The time
spend by victim in the cage depended on the crime committed. Most times offenders or convicts inside the coffin would be suspended on trees in full public view. An individual given the death sentence would be first be beaten, tortured and then placed in the coffin with bleeding wounds and soars hung over a tree. This would attract birds of prey that would peck and claw at
open wounds to eat flesh.
more
Boiled to death, Impalement, Boot, Branding Irons, Judas Cradle, the Collar, Thumbscrews, The Wheel, Foot press, Foot screw, Heretic's fork, Water Torture, Brank, The Collar, Drunkards Cloak, The Maiden, Pillory, The Scavenger's daughter, Scold's bridle, Stocks, Ducking stools, Ripping out teeth / nails, Beating, Blinding, Boiling, Bone breaking, Branding and burning, Castration, Choking, cutting, Disfigurement, Dislocation, Drowning, Flagellation, whipping and beating, Flaying, Roasting, Limb/finger, removal, Starvation, Tongue removal
The wheel
The Wheel or Breaking Wheel where the unfortunate victim had his limbs systematically broken. Catherine wheel or breaking wheel, an instrument of execution often associated with Saint atherine of Alexandria and adopted as one of the European execution methods.
Quartering
Quartering was where the legs and arms were separately tied to four horses and as each horse moved away the body would be
torn to bits.
Hanging
Prisoners were hung and died either by breaking their necks or by choking to death.
Burning
they were chained to a stake surrounded by wood which was set alight at the point of execution and the person suffered the agonising pain of being burnt to death.
Pressing
they were crushed to death as heavy objects were slowly put on top of their bodies.
Decapitation
The prisoners were sentenced to having their head cut off their body.
Hung, Drawn and Quartered
the criminal was hanged till they were half dead, and then taken down, quartered alive. After that, their members and bowels were cut from their bodies, and thrown into a fire, while they were still alive. They would finally be killed by decapitation.
Boiling to Death
Prisoners were boiled to death in a huge cauldron.
The Head Crusher
The head crusher was a torture device used in the medieval period. The chin of was placed on the flat base bar and the over the head of the person a dome shaped metal cap would compress and tighten. As the screw of the device was turned the metal cap would compress the person’s head first shattering the teeth and jawbone, and then squeezing eyes from their sockets. Eventually the clamped metal cap would fracture the skull.
The
Rack
The rack was a torture device used when Plantagenet Kings ruled England during the medieval period. This tool was rectangular in shape and had a wooden frame with single or dual rollers at the ends. One end of this torture instrument had fixed bar to fasten the
victims legs, while the other end had a movable bar where the victims hands were tied. As the handle would be moved slowly the ropes would exert pressure pulling the victims arms and legs and eventually dislocate the victim’s bones from sockets causing excruciating pain. Later in the middle ages variants with spikes on the platform where the victim lay came into existence.
Scavenger’s Daughter
This torture instrument came into existence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. This was a compression torture device as opposed to stretching torture instrument which was exceedingly popular popular then. The elongated device compressed the victim’s body in a low crouching kneel-down position. As grip of this device would tighten on a person it would cause blood to gush out through the victim’s ear and nose.
Choke
Pear
The Choke Pear was one of the worst torture devices used in the middle ages. This torture instrument design consisted of 4 arms that separated when the screw was turned. Liars, women that got abortions and homosexuals were punished using this torture device. The torturer would screw the top which would cause the arms to expand and tear flesh. This form of torture caused death but was often followed up by other painful torture methods.
Knee
Splitter
The knee splitter was a torture device that was used to crush and split a victims knees. Two wooden blocks with spikes and large screws formed the device. With one wooden arm placed behind the knee and the other in front, the torturer would slowly tighten the handle. This would tighten the grip of the two spiked wooden claws penetrating skin and shattering the knee bone. This device was also used by on other body parts such as arms, elbows, and shins.
The Coffin
The Coffin was a torture instrument made from metal. the victim would placed in this cramped metal cage. The time
spend by victim in the cage depended on the crime committed. Most times offenders or convicts inside the coffin would be suspended on trees in full public view. An individual given the death sentence would be first be beaten, tortured and then placed in the coffin with bleeding wounds and soars hung over a tree. This would attract birds of prey that would peck and claw at
open wounds to eat flesh.
more
Boiled to death, Impalement, Boot, Branding Irons, Judas Cradle, the Collar, Thumbscrews, The Wheel, Foot press, Foot screw, Heretic's fork, Water Torture, Brank, The Collar, Drunkards Cloak, The Maiden, Pillory, The Scavenger's daughter, Scold's bridle, Stocks, Ducking stools, Ripping out teeth / nails, Beating, Blinding, Boiling, Bone breaking, Branding and burning, Castration, Choking, cutting, Disfigurement, Dislocation, Drowning, Flagellation, whipping and beating, Flaying, Roasting, Limb/finger, removal, Starvation, Tongue removal