The Rise of Public Law

Buds here. I am told there is to be a post about the Torture Museum. Let it come to pass.

Here’s what we learned. Before the 1300s, in Europe, if a crime was done against you, you had to privately sue to get redress. After that time, the government began to get involved.

What did that mean, how did they establish guilt? Well, it meant confessions. And confessions meant torture.

Even if you did confess, it was better to prove that you are serious by torturing you anyway. Not that you would want to confess, confession generally meant death in a variety of crime specific ways. Arsonists were burned, duh. Murderers were broken on a wheel (don’t bother to look that up). Manslaughter got your head chopped off. Thievery got you hanged.

What is the upside to all this torturing? It was all done very legally. there had to be several officials of the court present while that torturing was happening. And there were multiple levels of torture. Starting at level 1: the threat of torture, level 2: being transported to the place of torture, level 3: having the torture implement put upon thine body, level 4: minor torture, level 5: the official, serious torture.

And you can not even be tortured to begin with unless there was one witness who would swear you were there.

For the downside, just remember there’s really no rehabilitation.

Technical details on how to torture a leg.

Executioner’s impressive fur cloak.

Execution swords had flat tips because they were all about the slicey slicey and not about the pokey pokey.

This tongue torturer is a true tongue twister. Say that five times fast.

Interestingly if a man and a woman had a dispute, they could take it to the ring. Men’s handicap, stand in a hole, possibly with one arm tied behind your back. Hold a club.

Women’s handicap; none really. Take your veil and put a stone in it. Take some time and appreciate the finishing moves in this photo.

If you win, you’re innocent. Also the other party is probably dead.

Note the scribes, while this man gets his legs jackhammered apart. Keeping it legal.

We learnt a variety of other fun things about medieval times as well.

There was this awesome motivational picture from Germany in the 1960s. Gotta use that at Juice. Be sure to read to the end.