Mikele Ray

Mikele Ray
History of Graphic Design
ARTH 321
L. Nicholson
Term Paper
Illustrations of Spanish Inquisition Torture

The Spanish Inquisition

Mikele Ray
The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1448 and was used during the
decline of the Roman Empire until the Spanish Inquisition's decline in the early
1800s.As a court for the detection of heretics, although its true purpose remains
somewhat obscure. The Spanish Inquisition was just one of several inquisitions that
occurred between the 12th and 19th centuries. In addition to the term being used
for the historical events, the word "inquisition" refers to the tribunal court system
used by both the Catholic Church and some Catholic monarchs to root out, suppress
and punish heretics. These were baptized members of the church who held opinions
contrary to the Catholic faith. The Spanish Inquisition was one of the most deadly
inquisitions in history. The Spanish Inquisition was used for both political and
religious reasons. Spain is a nation-state that was born out of religious struggle
between numerous different belief systems including Catholicism, Islam,
Protestantism and Judaism. The inquisitorial system was based on ancient Roman
law (the legal system of the ancient Romans that includes written and unwritten
law, is based on the traditional law and the legislation of the city of Rome, and in
form comprises legislation of the assemblies, resolves of the senate, enactments of
the emperors, edicts of the praetors, writings of the jurisconsults, and the codes of
the later emperors, Most early civilizations were ruled by custom or the arbitrary
judgments of kings or priests Laws and the punishments for not following the laws
were at the whim of the ruler. However, in 450 BC, after a revolt of plebs who felt
they were entitled to know and be able to interpret the code of laws,) .It was
different from other court systems because the court actually took part in the
process of trying the accused. The term "inquisition" has a third meaning also -- the
trials themselves.
Many prominent citizens were concerned about their country's religious
diversity and had bigoted attitudes toward non-Catholics. Jews were subjected to
violent attacks known as pogroms and isolated in ghettos. Many were killed. The
Inquisition was officially established in 1478, and Jews were banished a few years
later when King Ferdinand II issued the Alhambra Decree in 1492, ordering them to
leave on pain of death. Many Jews converted to Catholicism. These converts were
sometimes called marranos (Spanish for "pig" and a very derogatory term) and
accused of secretly continuing to practice Judaism. They became targets of the
Inquisition.
Heresy could be definitively proven if the accused was caught in a heretical
act, but the goal of the inquisitor was always to extract a confession, or admission
of guilt. Inquisitors were not only better educated and better versed in the Bible
than their subjects; they were also specifically trained in how to question them in
confusing or leading ways. Often, the accused wasn't clever enough to answer the
inquisitor's questions and prove his innocence. But the inquisitor still needed a
satisfactory confession. Accused heretics could be imprisoned for years until one
was obtained. If the accused confessed while being tortured, he had to confess

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again while not under torture for the confession to count. Torture was only supposed
to be used if all other attempts at obtaining proof of heresy had been exhausted.

Title: Spanish Inquisition

Artist: Granger
Medium: Photograph - Digital Image
Description: SPANISH INQUISITION. A procession of those condemned by the
Inquisition in Spain. Wood engraving from an 1832 American edition of John Foxe's
'Book of Martyrs.'

Mikele Ray

Strappado
Strappado is a form of torture that began with the Medieval Inquisition. In one
version, the hands of the accused were tied behind his back and the rope looped
over a brace in the ceiling of the chamber or attached to a pulley. Then the subject
was raised until he was hanging from his arms. This might cause the shoulders to
pull out of their sockets. Sometimes, the torturers added a series of drops, jerking
the subject up and down. Weights could be added to the ankles and feet to make
the hanging even more painful.

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The rack
The rack was another well-known torture method associated with inquisition.
The subject had his hands and feet tied or chained to rollers at one or both ends of
a wooden or metal frame. The torturer turned the rollers with a handle, which pulled
the chains or ropes in increments and stretched the subject's joints, often until they
dislocated. If the torturer continued turning the rollers, the accused's arms and legs
could be torn off. Often, simply seeing someone else being tortured on the rack was
enough to make another person confess.

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The Judas Chair

The Judas Chair was a pyramid-shaped seat. It was used to make persons confess
their sins against Christ. The person would be placed on top of it, with the point
inserted into the anus or vagina. Then, as the questioning advanced, the Inquisitor
very slowly lowered the defendant further and further onto the point by overhead
ropes. Some theories suggest that the intended effect was to stretch the orifice over
a long period of time, or to slowly impale. The victim was usually naked, adding to
the humiliation already endured.

Mikele Ray

Spanish Donkey
Similar to Judass Cradle, but much worse, Spanish donkey (also known as wooden
horse) was mostly used by the Spanish Inquisition during the Late Middle Ages. It
was a device of triangular shape, pointing upward, mounted on a horse-leg like
support poles.

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Water boarding
Water boarding is a form of torture, more specifically a type of water torture, in
which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an
immobilized captive, causing the individual to experience the sensation of
drowning. Water boarding can cause extreme pain, dry drowning, damage to lungs,

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brain damage from oxygen deprivation, and other physical injuries including broken
bones due to struggling against restraints, lasting psychological damage, and
death.

Waterboard on display at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

The Heretics Fork

The Heretics Fork consisted of two little forks one set against the other, with the
four prongs plunged into the flesh, under the chin and above the chest, with hands

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secured firmly behind their backs. A small collar supported the instrument in such a
manner that the victims were usually forced to hold their head erect, thus
preventing any movement.

The Pear of Anguish

The pear of anguish was a torture device used on individuals who were found guilty
of lying or blasphemy. This device was inserted into the vagina or mouth of the
victim and then expanded by force of the screw to the maximum aperture setting of
the victims cavity. Even though this instrument actually did exist there are no

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surviving accounts of what this instrument actually did to the human body, but
there are theories that the pear could rip apart the mouth but also is if the terror
and injury could lead to heart attack. When the pear is inserted into the mouth the
weight of the pear along with the pressure that is being applied by the punisher
could fracture teeth and cause immense pain. And one the pear was in the torturer
would then start to twist the pear open, which expand the jaw ultimately dislocating
the jaw and push more teeth out of the socket in the process. The pear will also be
constricting the wind pipe; this will then lead to hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the
blood). The antrum would then irremediably become lacerated, nearly always
fatally, ripping the tissue, flesh and membranes.

The Head Crusher

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The head crusher was a brutal torture device commonly used only by the Spanish
Inquisition. The persons chin was placed over a bottom bar and the head under a
upper metal cap. The executioner then slowly turned the screw, gradually
compressing the head between the bar and cap.

The Ducking Stool

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Dunking is a form of punishment that was mainly reserved for supposed witches.
The victim was tied to a chair which was elevated or lowered by the torturer. If he
noticed that the victim was going to pass out, he elevated the chair. When he
needed information and the victim was unwilling to cooperate, he lowered it. This
method was widely used during the Spanish Inquisition and in England and France.
The victim was usually intermittently submerged for many hours until he or she
revealed information or death occurred.

The Garrote

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The victim was tied to the instrument and his or her neck forced inside the iron
collar. With the handle that can be seen in the picture, the executioner slowly
crushed the victim's neck causing death from asphyxia.

The Knee Splitter

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The knee splitter, a terrible torture, was mostly used during the Inquisition. What
this instrument accomplished was to permanently render the knees useless.
Even though the name implies that this instrument was only used for "splitting"
knees, it was also used in other body parts including: the elbows, arms and even the
lower legs.

The Spanish Spider

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The Spanish spider is a variation of the breast ripper, except its more. This object
had long metal claws, which were heated before it was fixed onto a womans breast.
If piercing soft flesh with a searing hot metal wasnt enough, the breast was then
ripped off a womans chest violently. This was the penalty for adultery or deliberate
miscarriage of justice.

Mikele Ray

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture_chamber
https://www.behance.net/gallery/18096273/Leitor-Bertrand-Rebranding
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/14-spanish-inquisition-granger.html
http://www.magnoliabox.com/tag/Spanish%20Inquisition
http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/spanish-inquisition.htm
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/history/spanish-inquisition
http://jameshannam.com/inquisition.htm
http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/mores/legallatin/legal01.htm
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roman%20law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/WestEurope/SpanInqui.html
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican29.htm
http://www.historyrundown.com/10-most-cruel-torture-devices-of-all-time/
http://gianverderame1989.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-spanish-inquisition.html
http://jamesray.hubpages.com/hub/Killing-in-the-Name-of-God
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican29.htm
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Umrc9BBaRTY
http://sitandwhine.blogspot.com/2009/03/machines-of-malice-part-two.html
http://www.medievality.com/knee-splitter.html
http://listverse.com/2010/07/18/10-additional-gruesome-torture-devices/

Mikele Ray