Unveiling Medieval Torture: The Gruesome Reality of the Breaking Wheel
Explore the dark history of medieval torture methods, where sadistic devices like the Breaking Wheel brought unimaginable agony to victims. Learn about the brutal practices that stained Europe's past, revealing the grim truth behind the myths and legends.
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The medieval era saw the invention of some of the most cruel and painful methods of torture in history. From the 12th to the 15th centuries, in particular, increasingly sadistic methods of torture arose, driven by a desire to either extract confessions from victims or to enforce punishment on them.
Some methods of torture popularly associated with the middle ages aren’t grounded in truth, however. The iron maiden, for example, a cage lined with deadly iron spikes, appears in countless films and literature, as well as entertainment dungeons across the globe. But it was actually a Victorian fabrication to suggest the middle ages were more brutal than Victorian times. Nonetheless, equally brutal methods of torture were practiced in the medieval period.
From flaying a person’s skin to crushing their limbs in a vice, gruesome forms of medieval torture took on all manner of formats.
The breaking wheel, known variously as the execution wheel, the Wheel of Catherine, or the (Saint) Catherine('s) Wheel, served as a method of torture and public execution predominantly in Europe from ancient times through the Middle Ages until the 19th century, either by breaking the bones of the condemned or bludgeoning them to death. Its practice was terminated in Bavaria in 1813 and in the Electorate of Hesse in 1836, with the final recorded execution by this means occurring in Prussia in 1841. Those found guilty of crimes such as murder, rape, treason, or robbery and sentenced to be executed on the wheel, colloquially referred to as being "wheeled" or "broken on the wheel," were taken to a public scaffold site and securely bound. Typically fashioned from a large wooden spoked wheel similar to those used on wooden carts and carriages, often with an iron rim and sometimes modified with a blade-like attachment, the execution wheel was designed to cause excruciating bodily harm rather than immediate death. The initial phase aimed at the tormenting mutilation of the body, often commencing with the breaking of the leg bones, followed by systematic beatings, with the rhythm and number of strikes dictated by the circumstances, occasionally in correlation with the number of wheel spokes. Sharp-edged timbers were sometimes positioned beneath the joints of the condemned to exacerbate the pain. Subsequently, advancements included devices for restraining the condemned, and while rare, executioners were occasionally instructed to administer a final blow aimed at the neck or heart, known as a "coup de grâce." In even rarer instances, this fatal blow was delivered immediately at the onset, progressing from the head downwards.
A torture device that appeared to be used more as a gruesome punishment with the aim to kill, rather than to extract confessions or information. The wheel was little more than the kind attached to wagons, only with teeth or cogs embedded on its surface to which the terrified victim was placed and tied with their limbs resting between the cogs.
In the subsequent phase, the victim's body was affixed to another wooden spoked wheel, facilitated by the broken limbs, or tied directly to the wheel. Positioned atop a mast or pole reminiscent of crucifixion, the wheel served as a macabre display. Following this, the executioner was authorised to decapitate or strangle the condemned if deemed necessary. Alternatively, fire could be ignited beneath the wheel, or the "wheeled" convict might be cast directly into flames. Occasionally, a miniature gallows was erected on the wheel, particularly if the guilty verdict encompassed theft in addition to murder.
An alternative use of the device was tying the prisoner to the outside of the wheel with their feet tied to the ground. As the wheel was turned the victim’s restrained body would break, often resulting in instant death.
The form of punishment involving the wheel, akin to ancient crucifixion, held significance beyond death as the body, left exposed on the wheel, became subject to scavengers, birds, and decay, aligning with the belief of impending the transition from death to resurrection according to the prevailing beliefs of the time. If a convict survived the ordeal, falling from the wheel still alive or due to failures such as the wheel breaking or dislodging, it was construed as divine intervention, as depicted in votive images showcasing survivors and discussed in literature advising on the treatment of sustained injuries. Instances of prolonged survival following being "wheeled" or "broken" are recorded throughout history. Notably, a murderer in the 14th century remained conscious for three days post-punishment. During the Black Death in 1348, a Jewish man named Bona Dies reportedly endured consciousness for four days and nights following his punishment. In 1581, German serial killer Christman Genipperteinga persisted for nine days on the breaking wheel before succumbing, deliberately kept alive with "strong drink."