Medieval Torture Devices and Methods - Research Paper Example

Throughout the chronological progression of human history, the world witnessed a constant cycle of rising and falling of empires (Ames). From the great civilizations of Sumer, ending in Alexander’s megalomaniac plans of world conquest, to the Roman Empire whose city cried in fear from the invasions of the Vandals and the Barbarians, even those of the Incas, Mayas, and the Aztecs, whose reign ended with the coming of Spanish Conquistadors, the continuous cycle of imperial expansion followed by imperial overstretch and eventually imperial decay had prevailed throughout the globe. The medieval age is a product of such a cycle. Though highly prominent in Europe, Asian empires and civilizations also had their own medieval times. In Europe, after the fall of the Roman Empire, citizens sought refuge to the country-side where huge landlords and nobles took them in and provided them shelter, all in exchange for their freedom (Foe, Parco and Coronado). The medieval age, also known as the Dark Age, was the lowest point of European advancement in terms of knowledge, academics, and technology (Wikianswers). It was in this stage in world history, tainted by dominance of the nobles and the medieval Christian churches, that unimaginable and inhuman torture devices were created and utilized by the ones in power. One such device that is very much known to everyone is Flagellation, more commonly referred to as Whipping. Flagellation was a common practice during the medieval times to administer justice in the form of torture to the convicts (D'Silva). It was fast, effective, and painful. It originated and used extensively during the Roman Empire Period, however, it still has gained considerable popularity to punishers during the medieval times (de la Sierra). Jesus Christ himself suffered from Flagellation before he was crucified on the cross. It was said that Christ was pinned to a column or any fixed object (Dewil), most probably for the purpose of immobilizing him. The type of flagellant would sometimes differ on the crime committed or on the administering people (D'Silva). Often times, whipping does not lead to death. Should the authorities wish to punish the convict more because of added crimes, other forms of lethal punishments are utilized (de la Sierra). Another example would be the Iron Maiden, sometimes called the Virgin of Nuremberg. This type of torture mechanism is made up of a thick casket of iron shaped like sarcophagus with iron spikes protruding in the hallow insides of the device (Cork-Screw.com). Such device does not actually hit any vital organ; the spikes are strategically placed to prolong the pain and suffering. The casket of the Iron Maiden is so thick that neither a sound nor a single speck of light comes in and out of the device, even amidst the howling and shouting of the person inside the device. The casket stands to more or less 7 feet in height and could accommodate a full-grown man inside (de la Sierra). The person inside the Iron Maiden stays hanged right-side up due to the pierced irons on his body. Whenever the doors of the Iron Maiden are open and consequently closed, the iron spikes would pierce the same exact spot, covering the wound it inflicted and inflicting tremendous and unbearable pain, but not death (Cork-Screw.com). Eventually, the person suffering inside would not have much option but to die a painful and slow death. The iron maiden does not quickly kill the victim due to one reason: interrogation (Medieval Torture: Iron Maiden). The device was used to interrogate the victim for days and days until the victim either spills out the information demanded from him or her, or the victim dies. When the time to interrogate the victim comes, the doors will be opened, and subsequently closed afterwards. Once the doors are shut, the victim could hear nor see anything outside, causing sensory deprivation and psychological turmoil (Medieval Torture: Iron Maiden). Europe was not the only one with a period of stagnation, and definitely not the only one with torture devices to fulfill a specific purpose. Asian torture methods do not only serve to administer justice within their jurisdiction; such methods are part of their culture and as such, ingrained in their society as a common practice for all to observe. An example of an Asian torture method was displayed by Genghis Khan to torture the Turk Sultan during his conquest of Baghdad in the early years of the 1200s (Foe, Parco and Coronado). After sacking the city of Turk defenders, Genghis Khan ordered his men to wrap the Turk Sultan in Persian carpet to be trampled and stomped to death by horses. The purpose of wrapping the Sultan in carpet was, ironically, to hide the blood of the sultan from spilling (Genghis Khan disliked the sight of blood). Execution by animals is quite rampant in Asia, especially the countries of South and Southeast Asia, where India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, and other countries where elephants live (Brainz.org). Special elephants were trained to kill under the command of the executioner, usually under the control of the royal clan, giving the illusion that the royal clan is powerful that they can even control the animals. Should the royalty wish to torture the convict; the elephant will easily dismember the limbs before ending the agony of the person. Such practices of using animals as a means to administer justice and to strike fear into the would-be criminals ended when the European empires stretched their land acquisition to the lands of Asia during the 18th and 19th centuries (Your Mind Blown.com). However, before the practice was prohibited and lost, the practice was transported to the contemporary Roman Empire and its counter-part in Africa, Carthage. Sometimes, in Asia, torture is subjected only to women, for the purpose of finding a good family in the future. Young Chinese women before practiced the art of Foot-Binding (Murphey). The purpose of foot-binding is not to administer justice, but rather something revolving around the socio-cultural sphere. It started its practice during the Song Dynasty of Imperial China, and later on spread and institutionalized as a necessary torture to young girls in order to have a good husband. The rationale for such is that, according to Murphey, these lily feet were glorified as sexual objects and fetishes amongst the Chinese. Food-Binding happens at a very young age. Young girl’s feet, whose bones are still soft and mobile, are bounded and wrapped tightly, preventing it from growing (Murphey). As time passes by, the feet curve downward, deforming the bones and the muscles. The young girls are effectively crippled, walking with great difficulty. The feet were usually wrapped between four and seven years old by a 10 in. long and 2 in. wide cloth (Crites). It takes two years to complete the process, and when it is completed, the feet are essentially dead. There are always medical complications that could arise through such practices, such as infections, gangrene, blood poisoning, etc. Back again in Europe, possibly one of the most popular method to torture someone to death during the Middle Ages is by burning him or her at the stake. It was an act or form of punishment for convicts who usually have committed the act of Heresy and Blasphemy (Alchin). If a certain convict is levied and sentenced to be burned at the stake, a burning pyre is erected at a special location where on-lookers and towns people could easily observe. The pyre consists of alternate layers of faggots and wood and stands almost the height of a man. The convicted person, before being immobilized at the pyre, conducts a ritual where he or she is to march to the church’s steps, fall in prostrate, and beg for forgiveness for his or her sins, before being led to his or her demise (Alchin). There are basically three different methods to burn a person at the stake (Clark). The first, being discussed above, involves the creation of a tall pyre and strap the prisoner atop the pyre for everyone to see. This prolongs the fire from reaching the head of the person, thus prolong the agony of the person. In some cases, strangling would form part of the punishment before the burning proper. The second type assembles a pole at eye-level of every person and piling up heaps of straws around the burning stake. This quickens the execution process and the death of the convict by suffocating the victim to death. Joan of Arc was rumored to die in this kind of death. The third type basically consists of a tall frame holding together a seemingly vertical ladder atop a pile of burning materials. The prisoner, fixed at the top of the ladder, is then swung onto the flames (Clark). There are many means during the middle ages of the world and only some of them have been discussed above. These forms of punishment are gruesome and inhumane, destroying the integrity of the human person through means of public humiliation, physical mutilation, or psychological distortion. Through the different efforts of the world, these punishments are phased-out and replaced by more human means to rehabilitate the prisoner, not merely to destroy the life of yet another human person. Works Cited Alchin, Linda. Burned At The Stake. 23 April 2011 . Ames, Richard. Rise and Fall of Nations. July 2002. 23 April 2011 . Brainz.org. The 15 Most Brutal Methods of Execution At All Times. 23 April 2011 Read More