At present, no one will be surprised by the statement “I am an atheist” or “Yes you are a witch!”. But in the Middle Ages, even the idea of ​​pronouncing such words was punishable and punishable. For example, a person could easily be "invited" to the execution of "The Cradle of Judah."
What do we know about medieval torture? It is known for certain that in those days beautiful girls were more often than they should (hard to agree with) accused of having connections with dark forces and called witches. For attractive appearance, sometimes it was necessary to pay a terrible price: the representative of the fair sex, falsely, with intent or for any reason accused of witchcraft, was sentenced to torture under the name “Test by water”. A load was tied to her legs and dropped into a pond. If she came up, it means innocent. It is difficult to search for logic here.
In addition to this type of torture, burning alive, casting, “Vigil” or “Cradle of Judah” was widely used. The invention of the latter belongs to Hippolytus Marsili. It was thanks to him that the inquisitorial horrors became more humane (if I may say so): no broken bones and entrails turned inside out. The "Cradle of Judah," a photo of which can be seen in this article, was a watershed in medieval methods of gaining recognition. It was after the creation of this know-how that the Inquisitors began to use tools that did not cause bodily harm. Bright and deep pain, mixed with shame from a naked state, was, according to the medieval church, only a method to tickle your nerves and gain recognition. “The Cradle of Judah” - a torture that could knock out the crazy incoherent statements so necessary for the executioners, even from the most honest and righteous person.
What is the meaning of this punishment?
The naked heretic (according to the Inquisition) was shackled in a steel belt, which was fixed by a system of ropes and blocks. Then it was hung over the tip of a specially made pyramid so that the victim's anus was above the peak of the metal monster. While the person was conscious - he was unharmed, but as soon as he closed his eyes for a second - and a sharp spear of the pyramid penetrated inside and caused unbearable pain. This was the "Cradle of Judah." In another way - “Vigil”. If the victim lost consciousness (and this happened quite often), then the torture was postponed for some time.
Of course, there were other types of torture. Quartering, stake, saw, interrogation chair, Iron Maidn. The latter still had the names Iron Maiden and Nuremberg Maiden. The three names that the last torture method carried were symbolic: the victim, who was sentenced to this torture, died for three days. The meaning of this method is as follows: an unfortunate person was placed in a sarcophagus, having the form of a female figure. At the same time, thorns and blades were placed inside this box, but in such a way that none of the vital organs of the heretic were damaged. It was because of the sophistication of this weapon that the agony of the condemned lasted a long time and was very painful.
There was also torture called the “Cradle,” which is considered the sister of the inquisitorial tool, “The Cradle of Judah.” However, it is the latter that is one of the most sophisticated and cruel methods of torture.