Stretched on the Rack
Facts and
interesting information about Medieval Torture and Punishment, specifically Stretched on the Rack,
during the era
Torture and
Punishment - Stretched on the Rack
During the Medieval times inflicting pain and torture was an accepted form of
punishment or interrogation. The cruel and pitiless torturers were induced to inflict the horrors
of torture or punishment, including the Stretched on the Rack, on the pitiful prisoners.
Different types of torture or methods of punishment were inflicted, depending on the
crime and the social status of the victim,
using various methods and various types of devices
or instruments.
The Law, Crime,
Torture and Punishment - Stretched on the Rack
There were no laws or rules
to protect the treatment of prisoners
who faced torture or punishment, such as the Stretched on the Rack.
No matter what the type of torture or punishment
was used it was seen as a totally legitimate means for
justice to extract confessions, obtain the names of accomplices, obtain
testimonies or confessions or to
impose a penalty, sanctioned by law for a wrong committed.
The following description provides facts and information about the Stretched on the Rack.
Facts and
Information about being Stretched on the Rack
In England torture by Stretching and Dislocation using a machine called
the Rack was practised. Various methods of inflicting intense pain by
stretching dated back to the Greeks. A particular type of rack was
called The Duke of Exeter's daughter. This was a torture rack used in
the Tower of London which was said to have been introduced by John
Holland, the 2nd Duke of Exeter and the constable of the Tower in 1447.
Famous victims who were stretched on the rack in England included
Guy Fawkes, William Carter, Thomas Kyd and
William Wallace
(Braveheart). Another famous victim of the rack was Anne Askew who
was one of the women stretched on the rack due to her religious beliefs.
Stretched on the Rack
Description - Method, Instrument or Device
The rack was a machine
based on a rectangular wooden frame. The wooden frame had a roller
at each end. The victim's feet were manacled to one roller, and the
wrists were manacled to the other. A handle and ratchet were attached to
the top roller and were turned very gradually stepwise to increase the
tension on the chains. The victim
was tied across a board by his ankles and wrists. The rollers at either
end of the board were turned, pulling the body in opposite directions.
The victims body was initially stretched on the rack. However, limbs would be dislocated and
prolonged use would end with limbs being completely torn from their sockets inducing
the most excruciating pain.
Medieval Torture and Punishment - Stretched on the Rack
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