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The medieval torture device known as the rack might have been one of the era's grimmest tools. Victims' ankles and wrists were shackled to a roller on each end of a rectangular frame while their torturer slowly cranked their limbs out of their sockets. Besides being stretched until their muscles snapped, victims on the rack were also subject to a host of other torture methods, such as "pincers made with specially roughened grips to tear out the nails of the fingers and toes" or thin slivers of red-hot coal that sliced between the toes.
A favorite torture device of the Spanish Inquisition, the rack was often used by the notorious Torquemada to force Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths to convert to Christianity. And shockingly, it was reportedly still in use in Great Britain until the 17th century. Go inside the sickening history of the rack by visiting the link in our profile.
The Sickening History Of The Rack, The Medieval Torture Device That Stretched Victims’ Limbs Until They Though it was an innocuous-looking wooden frame, the torture rack might have been the medieval era's most brutal device — and it was used well into the 17th century.
Originally believed to have been used in antiquity, rack torture is most often associated with medieval times. At a time when executioners meted out creative — albeit cruel — forms of punishment, this particular device stood in a class all its own.
Consisting of a wooden frame on which a victim was laid with their arms and legs bound to a roller on either end, the device was used to stretch out victims until their muscles popped or were rendered useless.
But contrary to popular belief, rack torture wasn’t left behind in the 1400s. Indeed, various forms of it popped up in different countries across the world — and were reportedly used in Britain well into the 17th century.
How The Rack Torture Device Worked
Comprised of a rectangular frame raised ever-so-slightly from the ground, the rack torture device looked like a bed — on the surface. But a closer look revealed a much more sinister composition.
The rack had a roller on either end, to which the victim’s wrists and ankles were chained. Once strapped in, the victim’s body was stretched beyond comprehension, often at a snail’s pace, to put increased pressure on the shoulders, arms, legs, back, and hips.
Ultimately, the executioner could choose to stretch the limbs until the joints began to pop, and eventually permanently dislocated. Muscles, too, were stretched to the point of ineffectiveness.
The device also served as a restraint so that victims could be subjected to a variety of other pains, as well. From getting their nails pulled out to getting burned with hot candles, and even having spikes dug into their spine, victims who were unfortunate enough to suffer rack torture would often be lucky to come out with their lives.
And the rare few who did were left unable to move their arms or legs for the rest of their lives.
Retiring The Device In The Modern Era
Whether or not the device got its day in the 17th century remains in contention, though it’s said that in 1697 Britain, a silversmith was threatened with rack torture after he was accused of murder. Additionally in 18th-century Russia, a modified version of the tool that hung victims vertically was reportedly used.
There’s no question that the rack torture device was nothing short of brutal. Given the United States Eighth Amendment, which forbids cruel and unusual punishment, it’s perhaps unsurprising that this method of torture didn’t make its way to “the colonies,” even though other methods of punishment — like the pillories, which featured wooden framework with holes for the head and hands — did.
In 1708, Britain formally outlawed the practice of torture as part of the Treason Act. What is, perhaps, surprising is that the punishment itself wasn’t officially outlawed on a worldwide scale until the United Nations held a convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment back in 1984.
At that time, all participating states agreed that they would not engage in “other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment which do not amount to torture as defined in article I when such acts are committed by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”
So while the rack itself wasn’t named in that meeting, it’s likely that a torture method as creatively horrifying as this was in mind.
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