The Spanish Inquisition, a time when it was dangerous to be anything but catholic, saw the use of one of the cruelest tools of all time – the Heretic’s Fork. Established in 1478 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castille, the “Catholic Monarchs” sought to enforce religious uniformity.
Medieval Spain was a multiracial and multireligious country with large Muslim and Jewish populations. In 1478 Pope Sixtus IV issued a papal decree, authorizing Catholic Monarchs to name inquisitors in order to enforce the Catholic religion and expel the Jews from Spain. For Ferdinand and Isabella, this was a prime opportunity to increase their absolute power.
The first Spanish inquisitors were determined to rid Spain of Muslims, Jews, and Protestants. They traveled to different areas, hunting non-Catholics. Some, who admitted to being heretics were tortured as a form of punishment. Others, who refused to confess, were not only tortured, but then executed.
Though they used various tools and techniques, such as flaying, rat torture, and the rack, one they preferred was given the name the heretic’s fork.
The heretic’s fork consisted of a leather belt with a fork-like tool attached. The “fork” was forked on both ends, with two sharp prongs on each side.
The heretic would have the leather belt attached to their neck, the fork positioned with one end pointing just above their sternum, the other pointed at their throat, forcing them to keep their chin up. Any relaxation caused the tips of the prongs to press in puncturing the skin. If the person became too tired to hold their head up, the result was always the same – an excruciating death.
It is said that those who were forced to wear the heretic’s fork would throw their head back, “as if looking up at the heavens” to avoid being pierced by the sharp prongs.
Others, knowing death was inevitable, chose to let the tool do its job. They would force their head down, letting the fork pierce their body. But they never died immediately. Instead their death itself became torture, as they bled out slowly from their wounds.
Seeing how severe the inquisitors were, pope Sixtus attempted to intervene, but to no avail. Ferdinand and Isabella had already found the inquisition to be incredibly useful as they grew more and more powerful.
It is believed that somewhere between 30,000 and 300,000 people were killed during the Spanish Inquisition, with some historians believing the number to be in the millions.
Looking for more torture devices? Check out this list of the 10 most heinous torture devices.
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