What was the head crusher used for?
Torture. This metal device featured a plate that sat below the victim’s jaw, which was connected by a frame to the head cap. As the torturer slowly twisted the handle, the gap between the head cap and plate decreased, crushing the skull, including the teeth, mandible and facial bones, and ultimately inducing death.
Who was the Spanish donkey used on?
During the Spanish Inquisition, the Spanish donkey or wooden horse was a torture device used primarily on women. The triangular device was designed sharply angled and pointing upward, mounted on a horse-leg like support poles.
Who invented the Judas cradle?
If you were Ippolito Marsili, the inventor of this torture, known as the Judas cradle, you could tell yourself you had invented something humane, a torture that worked without burning flesh or breaking bones.
What crimes did the Head Crusher punish?
Of all sentences, like exile, confiscation of property, fines, death by hanging, beheading, exposure to elements and mutilation, Head Crusher was most horrendous and spine-chilling.
When were thumbscrews used?
Slave masters in the Atlantic slave trade used thumbscrews to subdue leaders of slave revolts who tried to take over ships making the crossing from Africa to America. This happened all the way up until the 19th century.
How painful is the wooden horse?
He was about fifteen feet high; the legs were nailed to the scantling so one of the sharp edges was turned up, which made it very painful and uncomfortable to the poor fellow especially when he had to be ridden bareback, sometimes with heavy weights fastened to his feet and sometimes with a large beef bone in each hand …
Why was the Heretics Fork used?
The heretics fork was used in the Middles Ages mainly during the Spanish Inquisition. The instrument consists of two forks set against each other that penetrated the flesh under the chin in one end and the upper chest in the other. This instrument didn’t harm any vital points; thus avoiding death and prolonging pain.
What was the head crusher used for in medieval times?
The head crusher was widely used during most of the Middle Ages, especially the Inquisition. With the chin placed over the bottom bar and the head under the upper cap, the torturer slowly turned the screw pressing the bar against the cap.
What was the knee splitter used for in the Spanish Inquisition?
Used frequently during the Spanish Inquisition, the knee splitter, naturally, was used to split a victims knee. The device was built from two spiked wood blocks with a screw at the back, and was clamped on the front and back of the knee. One turn of the screw and, hey presto, a knee was easily, and painfully, crippled.
What happens to the head of a Head Crusher?
Even if the torturer stopped before death, permanent damage to the facial muscles and structure would have occurred. The victim’s head would slowly be crushed, killing the victim, but not before the victim’s jaw had been crushed, and their eyes may have possibly extruded from their sockets.