Perhaps torture is no more firmly ingrained in our sense of collective western
history than in medieval times. The Papal Inquisition, Spanish Inquisition, the
Crusades, and the Tower of London all are tainted with acts of ongoing torture. Most
societies saw it not as an evil but as a necessity. Whether to convince other groups
of people that it was folly to oppose them or whether to help people see the errors of
their ways, torture was used matter-of-factly.
The Spanish Inquisition
The Tower of London
Nasty Deeds and Nasty Fates
Some Torture Devices
Christian Martyrs
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