The Middle Ages are shrouded in a haze of romance. Modern films and books are partly to blame for this, in which brave knights are ready to do anything for the sake of a beautiful lady. However, if you look at the real chronicle of events, medieval society was terrifying in its cruelty towards the fair sex. Legally, women were much more unprotected than men, and in case of any offense they were threatened with immediate retribution.
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Illegitimate pregnancy? Go to the madhouse!
Illegitimate pregnancy was condemned not only in the Middle Ages, but literally in the last century. In Britain, having noticed an excessively protruding belly of an unmarried girl, the family immediately sent her to a special maternity hospital. There, the unfortunate woman was obliged to wash clothes, scrub floors and do other menial work right up until the birth. And after that, when the child was taken away for adoption, it took a long time to work through the expensive services of the maternity hospital. But even after paying off all the debts, getting out of the special institution was not so easy. Most women who gave birth before marriage were considered asocial individuals and locked up in insane asylums for decades.
Forgot to compliment your husband's beard? Get hit with sticks!
One of the most ridiculous, perhaps, was the law of medieval Wales about disrespect for a husband’s beard or teeth. Women who neglected to praise their husbands' facial hair or accused them of having excessive dirt on their teeth were punished by caning.
Cane blows for blaming a man's beard.
The process was clearly regulated: the law predetermined the length and thickness of the weapon of retaliation, as well as the number of permissible blows. According to the rules, an offending wife could be whipped no more than three times, using a stick as thick as her husband’s middle finger and no longer than his arm.
If you want to stay with your nose, don’t cheat on your husband!
It cannot be said that in the past marriages were stronger and happier, but adultery was indeed less common. The thing is that women were reluctant to engage in extramarital affairs, fearing punishment.
In Sicily during the reign of Frederigo II, a married lady had her nose cut off for adultery, and all her property and children were taken away. The aristocrats were treated with a little more ceremony. They were not physically harmed, but they could be sent to a monastery, and there they could be persuaded the right people pour poison into a glass or strangle a traitor in a dream. Interestingly, the adventures of married men were not made public in any way and, moreover, were secretly encouraged.
Entered into a relationship with a non-Christian - to the stake!
The Spanish king Alfonso X of Castile had an incredible passion for creating new laws and codes. The most obvious example is a set of legal norms called the Seven Partidas. It regulated not only civil, legal and canon law, but also the relations of women with men.
According to the Code of the Seven Partidas, Spanish women were forbidden to share a bed with Jews and Moors. Pleasant moments in the company of a non-religious man threatened them with great trouble. If an unmarried girl or widow was first noticed in a vicious relationship, half of her property was immediately taken away. For prostitutes, despite the nature of their earnings, the punishment became more severe: beating with rods.
This was usually enough to discourage women from falling in love with the wrong men. If feelings flared up with new strength, the second time became the last. When convicted of violating the law again, the women's occupation and class did not play any role: they were sentenced to death by burning at the stake.
Alfonso the Wise was more merciful towards married ladies. Their personal property was not confiscated, and the decision about the choice of punishment was completely shifted to the shoulders of the spouse. Many saw salvation in this and hoped to beg for pardon at home. However, the prayers of repentant harlots were rarely rewarded with forgiveness. Deceived husbands considered themselves disgraced and often sent their unfaithful wives to the stake after the first time.
For the birth of a child with mental disorders - deprivation of parental rights!
Compared to the stories of cruelty that reigned in medieval Europe, the atrocities of contemporaries look even more terrible. Literally in the twenties of the last century, American women were terrified of discovering a mental illness in their children. Scientists immediately blamed the mother for a child diagnosed with schizophrenia or autism and, as a result, deprived her of parental rights. The verdict was the same for all the already unhappy mothers: excessive coldness led to their illness.
For grumpiness - torture with ice water or an iron cap and gag
In medieval Europe, excessive grumpiness was considered a serious female offense. For inciting squabbles with neighbors, swearing at the market, or dissatisfaction with her husband, a woman was threatened with terrible retribution. The person suspected of wrongdoing was forcibly dragged to court, and there he was condemned to a shameful punishment. There was even a special legal term for this: communis rixatrix.
The Middle Ages are shrouded in a haze of romance. Modern films and books are partly to blame for this, in which brave knights are ready to do anything for the sake of a beautiful lady. However, if you look at the real chronicle of events, medieval society was terrifying in its cruelty towards the fair sex. Legally, women were much more unprotected than men, and in case of any offense they were threatened with immediate retribution.
Illegitimate pregnancy? Go to the madhouse!
Illegitimate pregnancy was condemned not only in the Middle Ages, but literally in the last century. In Britain, having noticed an excessively protruding belly of an unmarried girl, the family immediately sent her to a special maternity hospital. There, the unfortunate woman was obliged to wash clothes, scrub floors and do other menial work right up until the birth. And after that - when the child was taken away for adoption - it was a long time to work through the expensive services of the maternity hospital. But even after paying off all the debts, getting out of the special institution was not so easy. Most women who gave birth before marriage were considered asocial individuals and locked up in insane asylums for decades.
Forgot to compliment your husband's beard? Get hit with sticks!
One of the most ridiculous, perhaps, was the law of medieval Wales about disrespect for a husband’s beard or teeth. Women who neglected to praise their husbands' facial hair or accused them of having excessive dirt on their teeth were punished by caning.
The process was clearly regulated: the law predetermined the length and thickness of the weapon of retaliation, as well as the number of permissible blows. According to the rules, an offending wife could be whipped no more than three times, using a stick as thick as her husband’s middle finger and no longer than his arm.
If you want to stay with your nose, don’t cheat on your husband!
It cannot be said that in the past marriages were stronger and happier, but adultery was indeed less common. The thing is that women were reluctant to engage in extramarital affairs, fearing punishment.
In Sicily during the reign of Frederigo II, a married lady had her nose cut off for adultery, and all her property and children were taken away. The aristocrats were treated with a little more ceremony. They were not physically harmed, but they could be sent to a monastery, and there they could persuade the right people to pour poison into a glass or strangle the traitor in her sleep. Interestingly, the adventures of married men were not made public in any way and, moreover, were secretly encouraged.
Entered into a relationship with a non-Christian - to the stake!
The Spanish king Alfonso X of Castile had an incredible passion for creating new laws and codes. The most obvious example is a set of legal norms called the Seven Partidas. It regulated not only civil, legal and canon law, but also the relations of women with men.According to the Code of the Seven Partidas, Spanish women were forbidden to share a bed with Jews and Moors. Pleasant moments in the company of a non-religious man threatened them with great trouble. If an unmarried girl or widow was first noticed in a vicious relationship, half of her property was immediately taken away. For prostitutes, despite the nature of their earnings, the punishment became more severe: beating with rods.
This was usually enough to discourage women from falling in love with the wrong men. If feelings flared up with renewed vigor, the second time became the last. When convicted of violating the law again, the women's occupation and class did not play any role: they were sentenced to death by burning at the stake.
Alfonso the Wise was more merciful towards married ladies. Their personal property was not confiscated, and the decision about the choice of punishment was completely shifted to the shoulders of the spouse. Many saw salvation in this and hoped to beg for pardon at home. However, the prayers of repentant harlots were rarely rewarded with forgiveness. Deceived husbands considered themselves disgraced and often sent their unfaithful wives to the stake after the first time.
For the birth of a child with mental disorders - deprivation of parental rights!
Compared to the stories of cruelty that reigned in medieval Europe, the atrocities of contemporaries look even more terrible. Literally in the twenties of the last century, American women were terrified of discovering a mental illness in their children. Scientists immediately blamed the mother for a child diagnosed with schizophrenia or autism and, as a result, deprived her of parental rights. The verdict was the same for all the already unhappy mothers: excessive coldness led to their illness.
For grumpiness - torture with ice water or an iron cap and gag
In medieval Europe, excessive grumpiness was considered a serious female offense. For inciting squabbles with neighbors, swearing at the market, or dissatisfaction with her husband, a woman was threatened with terrible retribution. The person suspected of wrongdoing was forcibly dragged to court, and there he was condemned to a shameful punishment. There was even a special legal term for this: communis rixatrix.
In the dark medieval times, executions and executions were elevated to the rank of folk entertainment, so they were carried out publicly. The accused woman was tied to a special chair in front of the crowd and covered with dirt and sewage. Then, to the amusement of city onlookers, she was dragged along the main streets to the nearest river and abruptly thrown into the icy water. The case was not limited to one time - depending on the seriousness of the offense, the judge prescribed a different number of dives. However, no one usually survived more than ten, since women died from shock and hypothermia.
The alternative punishment was no better, although less radical. A woman convicted of being quarrelsome was wearing a heavy metal cap with an improvised sharp gag in the mouth area. The design of the cap was designed in such a way that it was impossible to remove it independently, and the woman had to wear a shameful mask everywhere until the judge recognized her as reformed.
The site administration warns that what is written below is recommended for reading only by people who are not particularly impressionable, but with a particularly healthy psyche.
Punishments after which people became crippled
Flagellation. Flagellation is one of the most cruel and also the most humiliating punishments. The tools used for this were very different, depending on the countries and times: for example, it could be a whip reinforced with leather straps or iron chains, or a bunch of rods, often a heavy stick that breaks bones and tears meat.
Blindness. It was applied mainly to people of noble family, whom they feared, but did not dare to destroy. Ways? A stream of boiling water or red-hot iron, which was held in front of the eyes until they were cooked.
Carnausation. Ear cropping. They cut off mostly from a thief or a skilled swindler. For significant theft, his left ear was cut off. If a thief committed 3 significant crimes, then he faced the death penalty.
Pulling out teeth. In Poland, the teeth of those who ate meat during Lent, as well as of the Jews, were pulled out in order to take possession of their money (the word “Jews” is used by G. Sanson himself, please excuse me). Teeth were also pulled out in between.
Amputation of the hand. Amputation of the hand is one of the mutilations that civilization most opposed. In 1525, Jean Leclerc was convicted of knocking over statues of saints: they pulled out his arms with red-hot pliers, cut off his hand, tore off his nose, and then slowly burned him at the stake. The condemned man knelt down, placed his hand, palm up, on the block, and with one blow of an ax or knife the executioner cut it off. The amputated part was inserted into a bag filled with bran.
Leg amputation. She was not at all honorable, but rather terrifying. Amputation of legs was resorted to only under the first kings of France. Also, the legs of prisoners were amputated during internecine wars. In the laws of Saint Louis, we find that for secondary theft the leg is also taken away.
Punishments leading to death.
Cross. Crucifixion is quite an ancient punishment. But in the Middle Ages we also encounter this savagery. So Louis the Fat in 1127 ordered the crucification of the attacker. He also ordered that a dog be tied next to him and that it be beaten; it would become angry and bite the criminal. There was also a pathetic image of a crucifixion, head down. It was sometimes used by Jews and heretics in France.
Decapitation. This type of death penalty is known to everyone and has existed for a very long time. In the Middle Ages, naturally, beheading was the climax. In France, nobles were sentenced to beheading. The condemned man, lying down, put his head on a log no more than six inches thick, which made the execution more certain and easier.
Hanging. Another fairly common type of execution. Used in the Middle Ages along with beheading. But if it was mainly the nobles who were sentenced to beheading, then it was mainly criminals from the common people who ended up on the gallows. But there were cases, for example, when a noble nobleman raped a girl who was entrusted to his guardianship, he lost his nobility. If he resisted, then the gallows awaited him. A person sentenced to the gallows had to have 3 ropes: the first 2, the thickness of a little finger, were called tortuses, were equipped with a loop and served to strangle the condemned person. The third was called a token or throw. It served only to throw down the condemned to the gallows. The execution was completed by the executioner - holding onto the crossbars of the gallows, he hit the condemned man in the stomach with his knee.
Bonfire. In the Middle Ages, fanaticism knew no bounds; it lit fires throughout Europe. Usually they made a four-cornered fire, led the condemned person in gray clothes and burned him. But more often than not, those who were burned were spared the suffering of burning alive. So the organizers of the fire used a hook for stirring, as soon as the fire caught fire, they stuck it into the heart of the condemned man. They stabbed in such a way that the person immediately died (This was mainly done so that a repentant sinner, for example, would not renounce his words at the last moment, so it is not correct to consider this act as a manifestation of a kind of humanity).
Burial alive. Also one of the ancient punishments, but even in the Middle Ages people found use for it. In 1295, Marie de Romainville, suspected of theft, was buried alive in the ground at Hotels by the verdict of Baglia Sainte-Geneviève. In 1302, he also sentenced Amelotte de Christelle to this terrible execution for stealing, among other things, a skirt, two rings and two belts. In 1460, during the reign of Louis XI, Perette Mauger was buried alive for theft and concealment. In Germany, women who killed their children were executed in this way.
Oubliettes. The Baratrum of Ancient Rome gave birth to the oubliettes. Usually they were used to deal with enemies. Oubliettes are an abyss at the bottom of which there were spears with the tip up or to the side.
Quartering. One of the cruelest executions imaginable. Those who attempted the life of His Royal Majesty were sentenced to quartering. The convicted person was tied to horses by his limbs. If the horses were unable to tear the unfortunate man apart, the executioner made cuts at each joint to speed up the execution. I would like to note that the quartering was preceded by painful torture. They used tongs to tear out pieces of meat from the thighs, chests, and calves.
Wheeling. It involved breaking body parts. The convict was placed with his legs spread and arms outstretched on 2 blocks of wood, in the form of the cross of St. Andrew. The executioner used an iron pole to break arms, forearms, thighs, legs and chests. He (the condemned person) was then attached to a small carriage wheel supported by a post. The broken arms and legs were tied behind the back, and the face of the executed person was turned to the sky so that he would die in this position. Often the judge was ordered to kill the convicted person before breaking his bones.
Drowning. Anyone who uttered shameful curses was subject to punishment. So the nobles had to pay a fine, and those who were from the common people were subject to drowning. These unfortunates were put in a bag, tied with a rope and thrown into the river. Once Louis de Boas-Bourbon met King Charles VI, he bowed to him, but did not kneel. Karl recognized him and ordered him to be taken into custody. He was soon put in a bag and thrown into the Seine. On the bag was written “Make way for royal justice.”
Excoriation. This execution was often used in France. This happened when, for example, women of royal blood were caught in adultery. They were taken into custody and their admirers were flayed. This type of execution also occurs in the times when St. Francis lived. Those who translated the Bible were flayed.
Lapidation or stoning. When the condemned man was led through the city, a bailiff walked with him with a pike in his hand, on which a banner fluttered to attract the attention of those who could speak in his defense. If no one showed up, he was stoned. The beating was carried out in two ways: the accused was beaten with stones or raised to a height; one of the guides pushed him off, and the other rolled a large stone onto him.
Impalement. A terrible, savage execution that came from the East. But in France it was in use during the era of Fredegonda. She sentenced a young, beautiful girl from a noble family to this punishment. The essence of this execution was that a person was laid on his stomach, one sat on him to prevent him from moving, the other held him by the neck. A stake was inserted into the person's anus, which was then driven in with a mallet; then they drove a stake into the ground. The weight of the body forced it to go deeper and finally it came out under the armpit or between the ribs. I would also like to note that England was at one time ruled by a homosexual monarch (his name was Edward), and when the rebels broke into his place, they killed him by inserting a red-hot iron stake into his anus.
Rears. The essence of this execution was that the convict, with his hands tied behind his back, was lifted to the top of a high wooden pole, where he was tied, and then released so that, as a result of the shaking of his body, dislocations of various parts of his body occurred.
Boiling in boiling water. Counterfeiters were more often sentenced to this type of execution. Convicts were boiled in plain water and, in some special cases, boiled in oil. In 1410, a pickpocket in Paris was boiled alive in boiling oil.
Strangulation. Suffocation was carried out using a lead cap. Jean the Landless subjected one archdeacon to such execution, who insulted him with some rash words.
Forceps. Although tongs can probably be considered torture, people died from this torture. The idea was to pull out pieces of meat with tongs. Typically, this procedure also included pouring molten lead into the mouth and onto the wounds.
Information about capital punishment is approximately the same age as information about the first states. As a legal form of punishment, the death penalty appeared during the transition of society to legal relations. Later arose "the talion principle" according to which the punishment must be equal to the crime. Further, the death penalty was associated with ritual murder and sacrifice to the gods. In many ancient and medieval states, the type of death penalty depended on the personality and position of the convicted person. Many types of executions were aimed not at alleviating, but at prolonging suffering.
Public executions for the crowd turned into a kind of sporting competition: the convict’s antics that showed contempt for death (an indecent gesture addressed to girls, asking the priest to bring a drink instead of a cross, statements like “for me, death is no worse than an enema,” etc.) were greeted with applause. ), and the skill of the executioner - a successful blow is a successful blow both in the stadium and on the scaffold. It happened that hysterical individuals deliberately committed crimes in order to be the center of such flattering attention.
The death penalty was so demonstrative, spectacular, it had so many conventions, allegories, symbols, and humor, albeit primitive: bake a person in a hollow copper bull so that his screams imitate the roar of an animal, roast on a spit like a hare, fry in flour , like crucian carp.
1. "The Iron Maiden"
The “Iron Maiden” is an instrument of capital punishment or torture of the Middle Ages, which was a cabinet made of iron in the form of a woman dressed in the costume of a 16th-century townswoman. It is assumed that having placed the convict there, the cabinet was closed, and the sharp long nails with which the inner surface of the chest and arms of the “iron maiden” were seated were pierced into his body; then, after the death of the victim, the movable bottom of the cabinet was lowered, the body of the executed person was thrown into the river and carried away by its current.
Moreover, apparently, the nails inside the “iron maiden” were located in such a way that the victim did not die immediately, but after quite a long time, during which her judges had the opportunity to continue the interrogation.
According to the stories of ancient writers, a similar method of execution was first invented by the Spartan tyrant Nabis. The device he invented looked like a woman sitting on a chair and was called "Apegoy", named after the tyrant's wife. As the condemned man approached, Apega stood up and threw both her arms over his back, studded, like her chest, with sharp nails that tore the body into pieces.
2. Torture by hunger
Poor workers in a poor home were lifted in a basket above the table where the more industrious ones ate.
3. Torture and waterboarding
Drowning was used when it was necessary to execute many people at the same time. This is how the murderers of parents were executed in Ancient Rome and Greece, and in the Middle Ages the water test was used in relation to witches: the bound woman was thrown into the water, if she drowned, then she was innocent, and if not, then she was hanged.
4. Burying alive
Even in Ancient Rome and Ancient China, burying alive in the ground was used for Vestals for the loss of virginity.
In medieval Russia, such an execution was applied to a wife who killed her husband. The victim, buried in the ground up to his shoulders, usually died on the second or third day from dehydration and starvation.
5. Quartering
Quartering was prescribed for crimes against power, treason, and rebellion in medieval China and Russia. The criminal's arms and legs were first cut off, and then his head.
6. Wheeling
From 1450 to 1750, at least one person died on the wheel every day in Europe. Wheeling consisted of breaking each limb of the convict in two places and the spine with an iron crowbar, then the body was tied to the wheel so that the heels met the back of the head, and was left to die.
7. Throat congestion
Pouring the throat with molten metal was used in Russia until 1672 against counterfeiters. Other liquids were also added.
8. Impalement
Impalement involved the slow penetration of a stake inside a person, the agony lasting several days. This execution was used in medieval Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
9. Hanging
One of the brutal methods of killing slaves. They are hung with a hook so that they die of thirst and hunger.
10. Decapitation
It was used for a very long time as the main type of execution throughout almost the entire second millennium AD.
Death of King CharlesI.
Execution of Lady Jane Grey, 1557
If in England they cut off heads in a simple “clumsy” way, then in France they went further and invented a special device - guillotine .
Execution of LouisXVI, 1793
11. Gallows
In medieval France, a stationary gallows served as a sign of the lord's power: the duke had six pillars, the baron had four, the chatelain had three, and other small fry had only two. In Ancient Rome, slaves had a separate executioner. In many countries, the thief was hanged higher or lower depending on the size of the theft.
Hanging was considered a dishonorable execution, and beheading was considered a privileged execution, although in China, for example, everything was the other way around: there it is considered shameful to lose any member, and perhaps that is why such a surgical execution, requiring high qualifications, as cutting into a thousand pieces arose - on a marble table, using knives of various shapes, each of which is intended for one operation: for tearing out eyes, for removing genitals, “for hands”, “for feet”.
Gallows executioners often prided themselves on being able to get everything right on the first try. They came up with formulas to determine the length of the hatch, which took into account the weight of the convict. The arms and legs were tied so that the body fell vertically. The executioners also experimented with the thickness of the rope and the placement of the noose with the sole purpose of achieving instant loss of consciousness by displacing the spinal column and severing the spinal cord. Captain Kidd was executed in 1701, the rope broke and he fell to the ground, but he was raised and hanged again, this time successfully. It is noteworthy that the bodies of the hanged were left on the gallows for some time, established in the order of execution. On execution docks in 18th-century England, the bodies of pirates were left hanging until the tides washed them away.
12.
Garrotte
Garrote (Spanish: “garrote”, “dargarrote” - twisting, tightening; execute) is a Spanish method of execution through strangulation. Initially, the garrote was a noose with a stick, with which the executioner killed the victim. Over time, it transformed into a metal hoop, driven by a screw with a lever at the back. Before execution, the convict was tied to a chair or pole; a bag was placed over his head. After the sentence was carried out, the bag was removed so that spectators could see the victim's face.
Later, the garrote was improved. Thus, the Catalan garrote appeared, where the screw was equipped with a point, which, when turned, gradually screwed into the neck of the convicted person and crushed his cervical vertebrae. Contrary to popular belief, such a device was “more humane”, since the victim died faster.
During the conquest of America by the conquistadors, garrote became widespread in the Spanish colonies.
In 1828, King Ferdinand VII abolished hanging and introduced the garrote as the only legal method of execution in Spain for criminals. The execution was only abolished in 1974.
12. Burning at the stake
Burning was actively used in ancient times in many countries, but it flourished in the Middle Ages, since this was how the Inquisition executed heretics. Throughout Europe, this execution reached enormous proportions: thousands of people were burned alive, often en masse, on charges of witchcraft, cohabitation with the devil, blasphemy, and even deviance. The most famous example is the burning of Joan of Arc.
In Russia, burning was also used for religious criminals, and the execution was more painful, as it was carried out over low fire.
Landscape with a man on fire, and soldiers around him; illustration, Florence, 1619
13. Torture and execution using animals
One of the most ancient types of execution. The Romans, Assyrians and Babylonians staged public spectacles by placing prisoners in lion pits. In the East, criminals were killed by allowing elephants to crush their heads and tear them to pieces with their feet and trunks. In the book "Man Victim"James Clark retells the story of civil unrest in Brazil, during which locals cut the skin of local prisoners and tied them waist-deep in a piranha-infested river.
In India, a criminal was crushed with the help of a trained elephant. Well, the devouring of criminals by wild animals in Ancient Rome actually took place in the circus and was a favorite spectacle of the Roman people.
Dog baiting
Torture with a cat, London, 1651
Torn apart by horses
14. Torture and execution for faith
Some of the most severe tortures occurred in the Middle Ages during the discord in various movements of Christianity.
Example: Torture of Catholics by Huguenots in the south of France
A - tortured by hungerin pairs in shackles so that they eat each other.
B -naked is pulled along a tightly taut rope, which acts like a knife, cutting the body in half.
C - slow roasting on a spit.
The role of the executioner coincided with the role of the priest - this is what surrounded the executioners with respect, the charm of which cannot be returned by any pure heart and cold hands. Only the reflection of the sacred rite made it possible to turn mass burnings of heretics into attributes of state celebrations: on the occasion of accession to the throne or marriage, on the occasion of the birth of an heir, etc. The work went on for several days, they burned in hundreds and thousands, for greater brightness they dressed up “means of illumination” into sulfur-soaked shirts and stuffing flammable substances “into secret parts of the body.”
Monarchs did not disdain the role of executioner: Darius personally cut off the nose, lips and ears of the Median king, Ivan the Terrible also loved to have fun, Peter I personally cut off the heads of five archers (and Alexander Menshikov boasted that he had dealt with as many as twenty). It was thanks to the mystical, royal glow, and not to executioner virtues, that in some places in Germany executioners acquired the title of nobility, and in France they occupied an honorable place in solemn processions. Their prestige began to decline when they began to attach only earthly, utilitarian significance to executions. The executioners were still surrounded by superstitions, but already unflattering ones. They were afraid to live next to them, they were afraid even to accept money from them, looking for bloody stains on them. In Russia, it became difficult to find assistant executioners, who were previously simply pulled out of the crowd, and in 1768 a decree was issued generally prohibiting the use of executioners on a voluntary basis - due to “disorders and grievances.”
The instruments of torture are in some places so sophisticated that the cruelty of their inventors is simply amazing.
Pear of suffering
This “pear” was used to punish women who had an abortion. And also liars and homosexuals. The executioner inserted the weapon into the desired hole of the offender, untwisted the petals, and what next - you guessed it. Sometimes the victims survived, but not for long: then they died anyway - from blood poisoning.
Source: wikipedia.org
Spanish donkey
A wooden log in the shape of a triangle was mounted on a scabbard. He was “decorated” with thorns, and a naked man was put in charge of this task. To make the torture more “pleasurable,” weights were put on the penalty box’s legs.
Source: wikipedia.org
Cradle of Judas
The weapon is also known as the “Judas Chair”. The penalty man was lowered onto the tip, which pierced his genitals. Under the martyr’s own weight and gravity, everything was torn apart there. Well, then everything goes according to the script, that is, death.
Source: wikipedia.org
Chest claws
Specifically: for the breasts of an unfaithful wife. If one was caught in the act, then they took these claws, heated them, and stuck them into what is usually covered with a bra. Sometimes, after such torture, ladies remained alive, but with terribly crippled female beauty.
Source: wikipedia.org
Pectoral
In ancient times, this word was used to describe a woman’s breast ornament in the form of a pair of carved gold or silver bowls. The accessory was often decorated with precious stones and worn like a modern bra, secured to the chest with chains.
