I've had this... this and this!

We're studying Medieval Europe in school, so I thought this would be a good extra credit report tomorrow [img]biggrin.gif[/img] :

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Medieval Torture Devices & Methods

Reasons for torture during the medieval ages:

Force confessions or secret information from those accused.

Discourage dissent and intellectual freedom.

Persuade Jews, Muslims, and other non-believers to accept Christianity.

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Toewedge- Wooden wedges were forced underneath the toenails to help urge a confession from the criminal. The toenails often became infected and other tortures were applied if this was not enough for confession.

Tongue Slicer-This scissor type instrument was used to slice the tongue up after the victim?s mouth was forced open.

Copper Boot-The copper boot was placed around the foot of the victim and filled to the brim with molten lead causing first degree burns.

Lead Sprinkler-The sprinkler was filled with molten metals and dripped on the stomach, back, and other body parts of the victim.

Water Torture-During the water torture, the victim?s nostrils were pinched shut and fluid was poured down his or her throat. Instead of water, sometimes vinegar, urine, or urine and a combination of diarrhea were forced down the throat.

Thumbscrew-The thumbscrew was simply placed on the thumb and tightened until it crushed the thumb. The tool was also used on toes.

Toothed Squeezers-
These toothed bars squeezed the victim's testicles until they were destroyed.

Spanish Donkey-The victim was placed on the Spanish Donkey and then had extremely heavy weights tied to his or her legs until the force was so great that it either ripped the legs off or split the lower portion of the body.

Foot Press- The Foot Press slowly squeezed the naked foot between the iron plates lined with sharp spikes to crush the bones of the foot.

Scottish Boot- The Scottish Boot was placed around the ankle of the victim and then wedges were forced into the foot.

Disembowelment- The entrails were carefully removed from the body while the victim was still alive. The utmost precision allowed for the maximum amount of pain, while keeping the victim conscious and the blood loss at its least. Victims were known to stay alive for hours during the procedure.

The Pear- The pear was a metal object that was shoved inside the mouth, anal cavity and vagina. Once in place, the screw at the end was turned and the pear opened up inside the cavity. This caused much damage and bleeding that its victims were dead within minutes.
The Rack- The victim was bound on an oblong wooden frame with a roller at each end. If the victim refused to answer questions, the rollers were turned until the victim's joints were pulled out of their sockets.

The Branks- The Branks were a mask that had a metal piece that inserts into your mouth. The mouthpiece has spikes on it, which prevents you to talk. In some instances, the nostrils were blocked, which usually leaded to suffocation or its victim drowned in his or her own blood.

The Judas Cradle- The Judas Cradle is a horrible torture machine. The victim is hung above a cone pyramid type object and then is lowered upon it. The sharp tip of the cone or pyramid is forced into the area between the legs.