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.'