Torture

~When the Inquisitor felt that the suspect was lying or holding back information, he would resort to special means of~ ~interrogation~

As barbaric as this seems, it could be justified in the Inquisitor's mind as a way of saving the heretic's soul by bringing him to confession and repentance.  It is likely that the vast majority of suspects sought to avoid torture by confessing early on in the interrogation process.    Nevertheless, the annuls of the Inquisition reveal that the practice was very common.  Those unfortunates who reached this stage were in a very bad situation.    If they confessed under torture, their story would have to satisfy the Inquisitor as to its truthfulness.  If not, or if they held back the names of their fellow heretics, torture could be resumed.  The means of torture were so brutal that most people must have readily confessed, but their was always the problem of coming up with a satisfactory confession.  Torture could drag on for many days, broken up by periods of unconsciousness or imprisonment back in the cell.  Some prisoners could not survive the process which left the Inquisitors guilty of murder.  For this reason the interrogations were conducted by two priests who were permitted by the pope (Alexander IV 1256) to absolve one another.

There was quite a number of different techniques used to torture suspects, including water torture, fire, the wheel, the rack, and the strappado.  The Inquisitors could, of course, apply multiple techniques as necessary.

Water Torture Water torture involved forcing the suspect to swallow water, creating a sensation of drowning.  A cloth might be inserted in the mouth and then soaked with water.    Additional water could be poured on the cloth or the nostrils blocked until the suspect was ready to talk.   an example of water torture

Fire Torture
Fire torture was an effective method in which the suspects feet were coated with grease and brought near a fire.  The feet would be inserted in the flames or against the coals temporarily and then removed while questioning took place.  They would be re-inserted in the flames as necessary to obtain the desired confession.

The Rack
The rack is a familiar medieval torture.  The suspect is laid on a horizontal rack with the hands and ankles tied to rollers on opposite ends.  The Inquisitors would perform the interrogation while turning the rollers, stretching the body of the suspect and causing immense pain.

The Strappado The strappado could be described as a very unpleasant form of medieval bunge jumping.    The suspect had his ankles strapped together and wrists tied behind his back.    A rope was then dropped from an overhead pulley and fastened to his wrists.    Assistants would pull the rope on the other end of the pulley to raise the suspect off the floor.  The interrogation would proceed and, if unsatisfactory answers were given, the suspect would be raised up to the ceiling.  The torturers then released the rope with enough length that the suspect dropped almost to the floor.   The sudden jarring was devastating to the body and the suspect would have to endure it repeatedly until he confessed.  Unfortunately, the strappado was a very common form of Inquisition torture. The strappado

After all this, if the suspect confessed he would be returned to prison for a couple days.  He was then brought back to the Inquisitors and asked to repeat his confession freely without the threat of torture. This seemingly humane gesture was really only a facade of justice.  If a suspect recanted his confession it was not taken as a sign of his innocence, but rather, of obstinate heresy which brought the death penalty.

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