What was the most gruesome execution method used during the Spanish Inquisition?
What was the most gruesome execution method used during the Spanish Inquisition? During the era of the Spanish Inquisition, which spanned from the late 15th to the early 19th century, heretics who were convicted of religious crimes faced severe punishments, including execution. One method employed for executing heretics was garroting. This form of execution involved the condemned individual being tightly bound to a chair or post, while a rope or metal collar was tightened around their neck, leading to death by asphyxiation. The garrote was intended to bring about a relatively quick demise by breaking the person's spinal cord or crushing their windpipe. It was a method meant to efficiently end the life of the condemned while instilling fear in others who might challenge the authority of the Catholic Church. During the Spanish Inquisition, heretics were accused of various crimes such as blasphemy, practicing religions other than Catholicism, or promoting ideas considered heretical