History of Torture: Beginning of Inquisition
When
the Latern council banned trial by ordeal in 1215, inquisition was
put into place. Originally instituted in the 9th century by emperor
Charlemagne, the judicial system, per inquisitionem gave royal commissioners
the emperor's authority to travel throughout the land inquiring and
pronouncing sentence on crimes. Originally, the Inquisition was only
for suppressing heresy of which death was the only possible punishment
and was
to be presided over by local bishops. It was soon realized the bishops
did not have enough knowledge of Papal law and their authority was
over too
limited of range. The Inquisitor was born. The Inquisitor was frequently
a member of the Dominican order or on occasion a Franciscan. They
were
chosen for their piety and learning and supposed a supposed degree
of mercy. Some were even later canonized as saints. In 1252 Pope Innocent
IV
officially sanctioned the use of torture to extract the truth from
those suspected of heresy during the Inquisition . Torture could be
used when a person
varied their answers during an interrogation, when the accused had
a reputation for heresy or if there was at least one witness and at
least one strong
indication of heresy. Once found guilty the prisoner would be taken
to the torture chamber. There he would be shown the worst of the instruments
and
told if he did not confess he would suffer through them all. Torture
methods varied from country to country but could, and often did, include
the . In
1584 lawyer Paulis Grillandus identified five degrees of torture for
this punishment:
First degree: the victim was stripped and threatened with the strappado.
Second
degree: the victim was raised up off the floor for a brief time by
the pulley but no shaking or pulling on the rope.
Third
degree: the victim was hung for a longer period of time but still
not jerked.
Fourth
degree: the victim the victim rope was jerked which caused incredible
pain.
Fifth
degree: weights were added to the victim's feet which added to the
the pain and often fractured bones or tore limbs
from his body.
Other
methods which were used, (though considered illegal, most torturers
did not abide by the "torturers code of conduct manual"),
could include
having a mixture of quicklime and water poured into the victim's nose;
a scratching or biting insect caged over a sensitive part of the body;
or most
torturous of all, covering the victims feet in salt and allowing a
goat to lick the soles of the victim's feet. A most exquisite agony,
it did not leave
physical damage.Then there was always the or the Oh, but there's more:
Hippoltus is credited with the used of sleeplessness as torture. This
would be
combined with a starvation diet for two days and nights or more. Guaranteed
to persuade a victim to say whatever the torturer needed him to say.
Needless to say this torture is still in use. Another variation was
to pierce the nostrils with thread soaked in pitch. It was tugged
at intervals to keep
the victim awake. It's claim to fame is 'out of 100 martyrs, not two
could endure it without confessing.'