By Jon Berke, Mike Rapuano, And Brian Taylor

Two rollers were attached to a wooden frame The feet and wrists were tied to opposite ends of the frame (rollers) The rollers were turned and the bodies stretched in opposite directions This caused great pain and helped get information and names This device was used differently in different countries

Did the opposite of The Rack and compressed the body An iron bar connected the shackles of the feet, wrists, and neck Thus the knees and head were in a sitting position and the body was squeezed The force was strong enough to force blood out of the ears and nose

Common way to inflict pain on a prisoner Designed to crush anything between two iron plates Useful because they were small and transportable Sometimes and other fingers were inserted

Prisoners were hung until half dead They then had all their limbs tied to horses The horses would then run in opposite directions (like and X) Once al the limbs were torn off they were displayed on the gates of the town

The most common form of execution Noose was placed around the neck of the victim Then the executioner then pulled a lever which opened a trap door And then the victim’s neck would snap or hanged till suffocation

Used as punishment for women It was a muzzle (or a face mask) This was placed around the head and was meant to humiliate the victim Some of them had metal spikes so if the women had spoken it would cause great discomfort Some had bells so if they tried to talked it would ring and they would be scolded and humiliated in front of the whole community

Were wooden structures made to humiliate people who committed petty offenses The victim sat on a wooden bench and placed their wrists and necks in between two locking pieces of wood People walking by would laugh and throw all forms of disgusting waste at the helpless victims

This was always used in cases of witch craft and heresy A large stake was placed in the ground A large pile of straw and wood was built around the stake with a path leading to the stake The prisoner would be led to the stake and chained to the stake The passage would then be filled and fire was lit around them

Depending on the crime different letters were branded into the victim For run away slaves an “S” was branded on the forehead or cheek The brand was an iron pole with a wooden handle and an iron letter at the end The end would then be heated and placed on the skin of the victim Sometimes they would wave a red hot brand in the victims face till their eyes had been destroyed by the heat

Treason Harm or death to others Theft or Robbery Disrespect/Rudeness Witchcraft or Heresy

Castles had added torture chambers No laws or rules to protect the treatment of prisoners Every type of torture was seen as legitamnet means for justice It was used to extract information and confessions

"Medieval Torture and Punishment." Medieval Life and Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept Bishop, Morris. The Middle Ages. New ed. New York: Mariner Books, Print. "Medieval Torture." Medieval Times & Castles. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept