The Middle Ages left us as an inheritance terrible stories of torture, which are impossible to listen to without a shudder. At that time, torture of the “Spanish boot” was very famous in Europe. Despite the fact that the name contains a geographical indication, the executioners used the gun in Germany, and in Britain, and in France, and even in Russia.
The essence of the instrument of torture
The “Spanish boot” is called for a reason, it actually resembles shoes. It consisted of two wooden boards (or iron plates), between which the interrogated leg was located. This gun worked on a vise basis. When special mechanisms were activated, which were wedges or screws, the boards (plates) began to gradually come together. Thus, they crushed, broke, flattened the bones of the legs. After reading this description, it’s even scary to imagine what kind of bloody mess the “Spanish boot” turned a man’s foot into. Such a terrible mockery could only withstand one who had a low pain threshold. As a rule, as soon as the bones of the legs began to crackle, the interrogated either lost consciousness or confessed to all sins (even if they really were not).
Where did you come up with the “Spanish boot”?
It is not difficult to guess that this instrument of torture was first manufactured in Spain. And they invented it during the Inquisition. The Holy Fathers constantly invented something new and terrible in order to obtain from the interrogated those testimonies in which they could not be guilty in any way. History does not give us the name of whose sophisticated mind invented this torture. Over time, the “Spanish boot” was modified and improved; it went down in the history of many countries as a brutal instrument of torture.
Metal analog
It was from this material that the very first instrument of torture was made, of which we are speaking. This happened back in the 13th century, when all powers in Spain belonged to the unpunished Inquisition. The principle of the mechanism was described above, the analogue of metal also caused terrible pain. Sometimes sophisticated minds went further and used red-hot plates, which were put on the legs of the interrogated. Therefore, even before the torture, the person received very severe burns.
Wooden instrument of torture
As soon as religious wars and court intrigues swept Britain and France, the rulers of these states hastened to adopt the experience of the Spaniards. However, in these countries, the wooden “boot” has become more widespread, which later became a kind of classic in this matter. The principle of operation is no different from the above.
How was it in Russia?
The Spanish boot torture was very popular during the time of Benckendorf. However, the Russian masters distinguished themselves and greatly simplified the whole process. They combined elements of wooden and metal tools. It turned out iron hoops, which began to work not from the action of special screws, but because of wooden wedges driven in between the legs. The worst thing is that each next wedge was thicker and larger than the previous one. According to historical data, not a single person could withstand more than eight of these sticks, since at this stage the leg was saggy skin with bone fragments in the middle, and the person either died or lost consciousness.
Modern mechanism
But the Nazis went even further. For their bullying, they improved the "Spanish boot", or rather, expanded the scope of its application. They put such mechanisms on the head of the interrogated, which caused the bones of the skull to crack and break .
Conclusion
Now you know what the “Spanish boot" is. Finally, we name the names of those people who are practically well known to almost everyone because of their merits. You will also know from what torture they died. It was Giordano Bruno, and Galileo Galilei (did not die, remained lame), and Alexander Cagliostro, and Prince Athanasius of Vyazemsky and many others.