Stretched, crushed and impaled: 10 shocking torture methods from medieval history

During this period, an appalling assortment of torture methods and devices were used to punish, extract confessions (regardless of the truth) and, perhaps most importantly, instil fear. They inflicted unspeakable horrors on their victims, so much so that we still feel their legacy to this day.

Yet, contrary to popular belief, these methods were not ubiquitous forms of punishment in the medieval period. "I think torture is much less prevalent than we so often believe," explains Dr Hannah Skoda, speaking on an episode of the HistoryExtra podcast.

“There’s a really horrible phrase in the legal records where it says someone was ‘put to the question’, which means that they’re going to be tortured. But even there, there’s a strong sense that this was something problematic and to be avoided if possible.”

What’s more, some of the most notorious devices known today were never used in the medieval period at all.

Still, when torture was employed it would be horrific for those ‘put to the question’ as they were stretched, crushed, or impaled.

Let’s explore 10 of the most infamous medieval torture methods…

The rack

Arguably the most infamous of them all, the rack was introduced to England in the 15th century by the Duke of Exeter. As Dr Hannah Skoda explains, he was the constable of the Tower of London so the device became known as “The Duke of Exeter’s Daughter”.

Victims were laid out on a rectangular frame and their wrists and ankles tied with ropes at the top and bottom. The ropes were attached to a mechanical crank, which, when turned, stretched the body and pulled the joints beyond breaking point.

As the interrogation process continued, the strain was increased, inflicting agony and forcing the victim to relent and spill their secrets. This relentless tension dislocated joints, snapped ligaments, and could even tear limbs from the body.

The Judas cradle

Just to look at this pyramid-shaped device is enough to make you wince. In medieval times, the threat of it alone could inspire people to confess to whatever the torturers wanted.

The victim would be perched above the Judas Cradle, also known as the Judas Chair, and lowered – often by ropes – on to the spiky top. Their weight eventually forced the tip of the pyramid into their body, causing it to rip through the pelvis.

There is much evidence in historical accounts that though this device varied in design, it was used across medieval Europe, but has been most associated with the Spanish Inquisition.

The pear of anguish

As the name suggests, this handheld metal contraption was in the shape of a pear – and allegedly caused a lot of anguish. It consisted of four ‘leaves’ that were joined at the base and unfurled, like a flower, with the turn of a screw.

The pear was inserted into the victim’s mouth – or other orifices – and the leaves were opened to inflict excruciating pain and cause internal damage. While not typically fatal, it could cause enough pain for a confession or as a precursor to more lethal forms of torture.

But the pear is not without its controversy, with some historians questioning whether it was a medieval torture device at all. The presence of springs in the design suggest that it might actually date to the early modern period.

The brazen bull

Legend has it that the brazen bull was invented long before the medieval period. In ancient Greece, Perillus of Athens came up with the idea and proposed it to the tyrant Phalaris as a form of execution.

It did not go well, as Skoda explains: “Phalaris told Perillus to get inside to demonstrate it, which he rather stupidly did. And then he died a hideous and terrifying death by means which he had invented himself.”

The hideous and terrifying death in question was to be roasted alive. The condemned would be placed inside the hollow metal bull and then a fire lit beneath, which gradually heated the metal and turned the bull into an oven.

It is said Phalaris commanded Perillus to design the bull so that smoke rose in the form of incense. More grotesque additions to the spectacle were the pipes inside the bull, which channelled the victim’s scream to create a sound mimicking the bellowing of a bull, and how the thrashing of the suffering within caused the bull to appear alive.

Famous for its Greek origins, was this device used in the medieval period, if at all? Historians have argued that knowledge of the brazen bull, like other torture devices, was kept alive as a cautionary tale – or as a means of showing the tyranny of rulers.

Rat torture

Unlike the more complicated pieces of apparatus in this list, the idea of the rat torture was elegant in its simplicity, but no less brutal.

The aim was to force a hungry and desperate rat to eat its way through a victim’s body. The unfortunate recipient would be laid down and restrained, before the torturer trapped the rat on their stomach (possibly under a bucket).

The trap was then heated until the rat, now panicking, desperately sought any way out they could. The best way would be down, through the stomach. This led to a drawn out and extremely painful death as the victim’s insides were eaten.

The tongue tearer

The purpose of this tool, which resembles a pair of gardening shears, was as straightforward as the name suggests. The tongue tearer, which would be heated over a fire first, was designed to be clamped onto a person’s tongue and rip it out.

The executioner twisted and pulled – whatever worked, and caused the most pain. This ended up being a useful way of dealing with those accused of blasphemy or spreading heretical ideas: silencing them in the most literal way possible.

The wheel

Also known as the breaking wheel or Catherine wheel, this especially gruesome form of execution device for criminals was used from antiquity up until the 19th century.

Nothing more than a large wheel, like from a cart, it was a versatile tool to cause suffering. The victim could have it dropped on their limbs, almost certainly breaking them, or they could be tied to the spokes and beaten. Or both, of course.

The wheel could be turned over a fire or pushed down a rocky hillside, while some versions included spikes that impaled the back.

To conclude the horrific display, the wheel could then be hung as a warning to others.

This was due to the belief, similar to crucifixion, that this prevented the deceased from the transition to resurrection.

The thumbscrew

Another simple yet brutally effective device, the thumbscrew is supposed to have originated in the Russian army before making its way to Europe. A person’s thumbs (or other digits) were placed between two metal bars that formed a vice, which would then be closed when a screw was tightened, crushing the bones.

Variations included pointed spikes or nails to pierce the flesh. While not typically fatal, the thumbscrew was a wicked method of extracting confessions or punishing minor offences.

The iron maiden

Despite its reputation as one of the most recognisable of medieval torture devices, there is no evidence of the Iron Maiden being used during the period. According to Skoda: “The earliest reference [of it being used] seems to be 1802.”

As the story goes, the victim was enclosed with an upright iron coffin with an interior lined with spikes, which were driven into the body when the doors were shut. This did not mean instant death, though. The spikes were of specific lengths to pierce vital organs while prolonging the suffering, with it taking hours for the victim to bleed out.

It gets worse. Two spikes in the Iron Maiden were positioned to pierce the eyes.

The heretic’s fork

Used during the Spanish Inquisition, the heretic’s fork looked like a double-ended fork, each with two prongs, held by a leather strap that went around the victim’s neck. One end went under the chin and the other against the breastbone.

Once on, the wearer could neither speak nor sleep, as any movement would drive the forks into their flesh. Intended to punish and extract confessions from those accused of heresy, the method was not meant to kill, but torment – pushing the victim to the brink of madness.

Want to learn more about medieval torture devices and methods? Listen to Dr Hannah Skoda on this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast.