The iron maiden is a mythical torture device, consisting of a solid iron cabinet with a hinged front and spike-covered interior, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. The first stories citing the iron maiden were composed in the 19th century. The use of iron maidens is considered to be a myth, heightened by the belief that people of the Middle Ages were uncivilized; evidence of their actual use has never been found. They have become a popular image in media involving the Middle Ages and involving torture chambers.
Various neo-medieval torture instruments. An iron maiden stands at the right.
An open iron maiden
Copy of the iron maiden of Nuremberg on display in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted. The medieval torture chamber was windowless and often built underground, dimly lit and specifically designed to induce horror, dread and despair.
An artist's depiction of a torture chamber of the Inquisition, ca. 1736. The Inquisitors and the clerk are seen on the right. The Inquisitors were present to hear the confession, as soon as the torture victim gave up resisting, and the clerk recorded it. The strappado i.e. the rope and pulley system through which the victims, having their hands tied behind their backs and the lifting rope attached to their wrists, were raised and then lowered violently from the chamber ceiling, is visible on the right.
The Tower of London and Traitor's Gate. In the Middle Ages and into the Tudor and Stuart periods, torture was carried out in its chambers
Artist's depiction of the strappado, including the weight hanging from the victim's ankles. On the left the Brazen bull is illustrated
Entrance to the Palace of Inquisition at Cartagena
