Crowned Killers - A Brief History of Torture and Terrorism In Europe
The history of torture in Europe may seem at first to be a steady progression of barbarous tactics, leading from one social purge to the next, but this is not completely the case. Torture, as I will completely define later, has been used in a progression from primitive methods to the present more modern styles. It has also developed extensively, both in severity and variety of methods used. But in the end, torture has gone full circle; modern forms of torture are more like those methods used by savages than anything in between. Overall, the severity of torture has fluctuated, growing and receding with the passing of each new time period, but eventually reverting to its original state.
The Wheel was a common,
deadly torture used for
much of European history.
What Exactly is Torture?
Torture, as defined by most governments, is usually taken to be any number of manipulations of the mind or body, used to elicit a confession. But this is too limiting of a definition. By English law records, torture of this kind has never even occurred in the British Isles (Scott 2). But we have considerable evidence of its use in the witch-trials of the 17th century (Notestein 167). Furthermore, many so-called "punishments" enforced under British penal codes are really nothing more than veiled forms of torture. It has always been the custom of the State to put tortures into the class of punishment to justify their use (Scott 1). So, for the following discussion, I include along with the usual idea of torture any form of harsh punishment designed to inflict pain for revenge or cruelty.
There are also several varieties of torture in general. Until the twentieth century, most forms of torture that were recognized as such were purely physical in nature. The breaking of bones, manipulation or mutilation of a person's body, and the application of flames or other implements of punishment were the main forms of recognized torture.
But there is also psychological torture. In the Spanish Inquisition, inquisitors would show the implements of torture to potential victims to scare them into submission. This form of psychological torture was known as the Second Degree (Mannix 77). In more modern times, psychological torture has all but replaced physical torture. Time in jail, for example, is often more paralyzing than many forms of physical torture (Scott 4). So, torture can take on many forms.
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