What were the methods used by the Spanish Inquisition to extract confessions?

History The Spanish Inquisition Questions



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What were the methods used by the Spanish Inquisition to extract confessions?

The Spanish Inquisition used various methods to extract confessions, including torture, imprisonment, and psychological manipulation. Some of the commonly employed techniques included the strappado (suspending the victim from the ceiling by their wrists, then dropping them suddenly), the rack (stretching the victim's limbs to the point of dislocation), waterboarding (simulating drowning), and the use of various instruments of torture such as the thumbscrew and the iron maiden. Additionally, prisoners were often subjected to prolonged periods of isolation, sleep deprivation, and psychological torment to break their will and force them to confess.