Why were medieval torture devices used?

I neither can nor may tell all the wounds or all the tortures which they inflicted on wretched men in this land. Medieval and early modern European courts used torture, depending on the accused's alleged crime and social status. read more

Many bishops and archbishops of the medieval church were against torture. In most medieval towns, people who were tried for crimes went before a town council. But torture was the sentence only for those found guilty of extreme crimes or as someone else stated to gain intelligence or extract information from an enemy. read more

But even the most extreme types of torture used today pale compared to some of the means of inflicting unspeakable cruelty and pain on evil doers during medieval times. The dark ages were the medieval time frame when the very harsh torture was used most commonly to punish those who ran afoul of the law. read more

Medieval and early modern instruments of torture These torture devices were devices used in the Middle Ages or early modern period to cause pain, injury, and sometimes death, usually to extract information or a confession from criminals or prisoners, also as punishment for crimes. read more