The cross was of several kinds one in the shape of an X, called crux Andreana, because tradition reports St. xiv.1) we learn the latter to have been of two kinds, the less usual sort being rather impalement than what we should describe by the word crucifixion, as the criminal was transfixed by a pole, which passed through the back and spine and came out at the mouth. xvi.77) doubts whether they describe the Roman method of crucifixion. The words σταυρόω and σκολοπίζω are also applied to Persian and Egyptian punishments, but Casaubon (Exer. Medieval Torture was a freely accepted form of punishment in the Middle Ages and was only abolished in England in 1640.ĬRUX ( σταυρός, σκόλοψ ), an instrument of capital punishment, used by several ancient nations, especially the Romans and Carthaginians. By means of the torture, an innocent man may suffer to the utmost without making any avowal and, in such a case, what a crime for the judge! Or the person may be subdued by pain, and may acknowledge himself guilty, although he be not so, which throws an equally great sin upon the judge." Despite this, and other please, the practise of torturing victims continued. As early as 866, we find, from Pope Nicholas V's letter to the Bulgarians, that their custom of torturing the accused was considered contrary to divine as well as to human law: "For," says he, "a confession should be voluntary, and not forced.
The barbarous custom of punishment by torture was on several occasions condemned by the Church. Torture chambers and dungeons were often very small some measured only eleven feet long by seven feet wide in which from ten to twenty prisoners were often incarcerated at the same time. The entrances to many torture chambers were accessed through winding passages which served to muffle the agonising cries of torture victims from the normal inhabitants of the castle. The torture chambers were located in the lower parts of castles. Middle Ages Torture Chambers and Dungeons These final methods of torture and execution included the following methods: The execution method itself was part of the torture endured by prisoners. There were many forms of torture and execution. However, the customs of the Medieval period dictated that many prisoners were tortured before they were executed in order to obtain additional information about their crime or their accomplices.
The instruments or devices used in Medieval torture of the Middle Ages included some of the following terrible tools or machines:Ī skilled torturer would use methods, devices and instruments to prolong life as long as possible whilst inflicting agonising pain.
Instruments or devices of Middle Ages Torture Other tortures included the compression of the limbs by special instruments, or by ropes, injection of water, vinegar, or oil, into the body of the accused, application of hot pitch, and starvation, were the processes used in tortures. There was even a torture which used tickling as a method to inflict suffering. There were many methods of torture which were practiced during the Medieval era of the Middle Ages: