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What Were Some Medieval Torture Methods?

The Tub- The convicted person would be placed in a wooden tub with only their head sticking out. After that, the executioner would paint their face with milk and honey; soon, flies owuld begin to feed on them. The victim was also fed regularly and would end up swimming in their exccrement. After a few days, maggots and worms would devour the body as they decayed alive.

The Brazen Bull- Designed in Ancient Greece; a solid piece of brass was cast with a door on the side that could be opened and latched. The victim would be placed inside the bull and a fire set underneath it until the metal became literally yellow as it was heated. The victim would then be slowly roasted to death all while screaming in agonizing pain.

Heretics Fork- This consisted of a metal piece with two opposed bi-prong forks attached to a belt or strap. One end of the device was pushed under the chin, the other to the sternum, and the strap was used to secure the victims neck to the tool while the victim hung from the ceiling or was somehow suspended so they could not sleep. If their heads dropped, the prongs would pierce their throat and chest. 

Neck Torture- The cruelty of this punishment lie within the fact that they were unable to lie down, eat, or lower their heads for days.

The Judas Cradle- This gruesome punishment entailed having the victim sit on the pyramid-shaped cradle, after which they would be forced down on it  by ropes with the intent of stretching the victim's orifce over a long period of time, slowly impaling them. To add to the humiliation, the victim was usually naked and the device was never washed, so if the torture didn't kill them, the infections would. 

Lead Sprinkler- Usually filled with molten lead, tar, boiling water or boiling oil, it was used to torture victims by dripping the contents onto their stomach or other body parts, like the eyes. Using this device, the torturer would proceed ot pour molten silver on the victims eyes which resulted in agonizing pain and evetual death.

Iron Maiden- This consisted of an iron cabinet with a hinged front and spike covered interior, sufficient enough to enclose a human being. Once inside its conical frame, the victim would be unable to move due to the great number of steel spikes impaling them from every direction. The interrogator would scream questions at the victim while poking them with jagged edges.

Thumbscrew- This was designed to slowly crush not only the fingers and toes, but larger devices were used to crush knees and elbows.

The Rack- Designed to dislocate every joint of the victis body, it was believed to be the most painful form of medieval torture. It was made out of a wooden frame with two ropes fixed to the bottom and the other two tied into the handle on top. Once the victim is bound and placed on top of the rack, the torturer would proceed to turn the handle. Eventually, the victim would be stretched until his limbs were dislocated. The torturers would continue to turn the handle until the victims limbs were torn off.

Rat Torture- One of the most sadistic of all torture techniques involved having a cage with one open side strapped against the victims body. It would then be filled with large rodents and a heating element which would be placed on the other side of the cage. The rodents' natural instinct led them to flee the intense heat. In order to escape, they would burrow through the victims body with fatal results.

Breast Ripper- This is a torture technique specially designed for women. Used to cause major blood loss, the claws, which were often red hot, would be placed on the exposed breasts as the spikes penetrated beneath the skin. It would then be pulled or jerked causing large chunks of flesh to come off with it.

The Breaking Wheel- This is used to slowly kill the victim. First, the victims limbs were tied to the spokes of a large wooden wheel which would then be slowly revolved as the torturer simultaneously smashed the victims limbs with an iron hammer to break them in numerous places. As the bones were broken, the victim would be left on the wheel to die or could be placed on top of a tall pole so the birds could feed on their flesh while still alive.

Spanish Donkey- The victim is put astride, naked, on a donkey-like apparatus, which actually a vertical wooden board with a sharp V-wedge on top of it. The torturer would add varying weights to the victims feet until, finally, the wedge sliced through the victims body.

Saw Torture- In this method, the victim is hung upside-down, so that the blood will rush to their heads and keep them conscious during the long torture. The torturer would then saw through the victims bodies until they were completely sawed in half. Most were cut up only to their abdomen to prolong their agony.

Hanged, Drawn, And Quartered- A penalty for high treason in medieval England. The victim is dragged in a wooden frame called a hurdle to the place of execution. They would then be hanged by the neck for a short period of time until they are near-death (hanged), followed by disembowelment and castration where the entrails and genitalia were burned in front of the victim (drawn). The victim would then be divided into 4 separate parts and beheaded (quartered).

Source: {http://www.list25.com/25-most-brutal-torture-techniques-ever-devised/}