The Medieval "Iron Maiden Torture" is a Myth
The Medieval "Iron Maiden Torture" is a Myth
Actually it was invented in the 18th century...

Medieval torture was gruesome, bloody, and painful. Executioners sawed people in half, used the notorious "head crusher," and broke people on the wheel. But one of the torture devices most identified with the medieval period may have been invented much later. The notorious iron maiden, a coffin lined with spikes to impale victims, was actually invented in the 18th century. After a late-18th century German philosopher described a gruesome medieval execution with an iron maiden, the device suddenly started appearing in museums across Europe, but those versions largely date to the early 1800s.

Medievalist Peter Konieczny points out that many mythical tales of brutal medieval torture began appearing during the Enlightenment, as a way of contrasting the "savage" medieval period with the sophistication of the 18th century. In fact, Konieczny reports the most common medieval torture method was simply tying people up with ropes. 

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