An
iron maiden (German
Eiserne Jungfrau) is a
tortureTorture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:In addition to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may be motivated to inflict torture on others for similar reasons to those of a state; however, the motive for torture can also be for the sadistic gratification of...
device, consisting of an iron
cabinetA cabinet is usually a box-shaped furniture, either standing alone as a piece of furniture or built into or attached to a wall typically made of wood but now often made of synthetic materials, and used for storage of miscellaneous items.Cabinets usually have one or more doors on the front that are...
, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and
tortureTorture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:In addition to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may be motivated to inflict torture on others for similar reasons to those of a state; however, the motive for torture can also be for the sadistic gratification of...
or
killCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
a person by piercing the body with sharp objects (such as knives,
spikeSpike may refer to:-Device to puncture or fasten:* Nail , especially one over four inches long* Rail spike, used to construct railroad tracks* Tree spiking, making a tree dangerous to cut with a chainsaw...
s or nails), while he or she is forced to remain standing.
A very similar torture device was constructed by Countess Elizabeth Báthory in the 16th century, which she allegedly dubbed, the iron virgin.
An
iron maiden (German
Eiserne Jungfrau) is a
tortureTorture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:In addition to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may be motivated to inflict torture on others for similar reasons to those of a state; however, the motive for torture can also be for the sadistic gratification of...
device, consisting of an iron
cabinetA cabinet is usually a box-shaped furniture, either standing alone as a piece of furniture or built into or attached to a wall typically made of wood but now often made of synthetic materials, and used for storage of miscellaneous items.Cabinets usually have one or more doors on the front that are...
, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and
tortureTorture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:In addition to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may be motivated to inflict torture on others for similar reasons to those of a state; however, the motive for torture can also be for the sadistic gratification of...
or
killCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
a person by piercing the body with sharp objects (such as knives,
spikeSpike may refer to:-Device to puncture or fasten:* Nail , especially one over four inches long* Rail spike, used to construct railroad tracks* Tree spiking, making a tree dangerous to cut with a chainsaw...
s or nails), while he or she is forced to remain standing.
A very similar torture device was constructed by Countess Elizabeth Báthory in the 16th century, which she allegedly dubbed, the iron virgin. The iron maiden is often associated with the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
, but in fact was not invented until the late 18th century: No account of the iron maiden can be found earlier than 1793, although medieval torture devices were elaborately catalogued with horrified fascination and reproduced during the 19th century for collectors of the macabre.
Wolfgang Schild, a professor of criminal law, criminal law history and philosophy of law at the University of Bielefeld, has argued that any known iron maidens were in fact pieced together from several
artifactsAn artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human. In archaeology, an artifact is an object recovered by some archaeological endeavor, which may have a cultural interest. Examples include stone tools such as projectile points, pottery vessels, metal objects such as buttons or guns,...
found in museums, in order to create spectacular objects intended for (commercial) exhibition.
Following the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
capture of
ToledoToledo is a municipality located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha...
, a French officer gave the following account of discovering such a device in the dungeons beneath the headquarters of the
InquisitionThe term Inquisition can apply to any one of several institutions charged with trying and convicting heretics within the Catholic Church...
:
- In a recess in the subterranean vault, next to the private hall where the interrogations were conducted, stood a wooden figure, carved by the monks, and representing the Virgin Mary. A gilded halo encompassed her head, and in her right hand she held a banner extolling the glory of her Faith.
- It appeared to us at first sight that, despite the silken robe adorning her, she wore some kind of breastplate which, on closer examination, was seen to be stuck full of extremely sharp, narrow knife-blades, the points being directed towards the spectator. The arms and hands were jointed, controlled by machinery concealed behind a curtain.
- One of the Inquisition staff was commanded to set it in motion, and when the figure extended its arms, as though to press someone most lovingly to its heart, a Polish
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
grenadier was ordered to substitute his well-filled knapsack for an imaginary victim. The effigy hugged it closer and closer, and when finally it was made to unclasp its arms, the knapsack had been perforated to a depth of two or three inches, and remained hanging on the points of the projecting daggers.
- Persons accused of heresy
Heresy is proposing some unorthodox change to an established system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established opinion of scholars of that belief such as canon. It is sometimes confused with apostasy which is disaffiliation from orthodoxy and blasphemy which is...
, or of blasphemingBlasphemy is the use of reference to one or more gods in a manner considered objectionable by a religious authority. It may include using sacred names as stress expletives without intention to pray or speak of sacred matters; it is also sometimes defined as language expressing disbelief or...
God or the Saints, and obstinately refusing to confess their guilt, were conducted into this cellar, at the furthest end of which, numerous lamps placed around a recess, threw a variegated illumination of the gilded halo, and on the figure with a banner in her right hand. At a little altar standing opposite to her, and hung with black, the prisoner received the sacrament, and two ecclesiastics earnestly besought him, in the presence of the Mother of God, to make a confession. "See," they said, "how lovingly the blessed Virgin opens her arms to thee! On her bosom thy hardened heart will be melted; there thou wilt confess."
- All at once the figure began to extend its arms; the prisoner was led to her embrace; she drew him nearer and nearer, pressed him almost imperceptibly closer and closer, until the spikes and knives just pierced his chest.
The most famous device was the iron maiden of
NurembergNuremberg is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal and is Franconia's largest city. It is located about 170 kilometres north of Munich, at 49.27° N 11.5° E. The population is...
, first displayed possibly as far back as 1802. The original was lost in the Allied bombing of Nuremberg in 1944. A copy "from the Royal Castle of Nuremberg", crafted for public display, was sold through J. Ichenhauser of London to the
Earl of ShrewsburyMajor Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 5th Earl Talbot and 20th Earl of Waterford , was a British peer.Talbot was the only son and heir of the Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury...
in 1890, along with other torture devices, and, after being displayed at the
World's Columbian ExpositionThe World's Columbian Exposition — also known as The Chicago World's Fair — was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World. Chicago bested New York City, Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, Missouri, for the honor of...
, Chicago, 1893, was taken on an American tour. This copy was auctioned off in the early 1960s and is now on display at the Medieval Crime Museum,
Rothenburg ob der TauberRothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City...
.
Historians have ascertained that
Johann Philipp SiebenkeesProfessor Johann Philipp Siebenkees was a German philosopher.Siebenkees studied theology, philosophy, and philology at University of Altdorf. In 1791 he became associate professor of philosophy there, and a full professor of languages in 1795. He also taught archeology...
created the history of it as a
hoaxA hoax is a deliberate attempt to deceive or trick an audience into believing, or accepting, that something is real, when the hoaxer knows it is not; or that something is true, when it is false...
in 1793. According to Siebenkees'
colportageColportage is the distribution of publications, books, religious tracts, etc., by carriers called "colporteurs".The term is an alteration of French comporter, "to peddle" as a portmanteau or pun with the word col , with the resulting meaning "to carry on one's neck"...
, it was first used on August 14, 1515, to execute a coin
forgerForgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents , with the intent to deceive. The similar crime of fraud is the crime of deceiving another, including through the use of objects obtained through forgery...
.
The Nuremberg iron maiden was actually built in the 19th century as a probable misinterpretation of a
medievalThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
"
SchandmantelA schandmantel or schandtonne , sometimes also Spanish coat, is a torture device which came into use in the 13th century. Schandmantels were fashioned from wood and sometimes lined with sheet metal. Victims were made to wear this device in public where they would be insulted, humiliated and have...
" ("cloak of shame"), which was made of wood and tin but without spikes.
The iron maiden of Nuremberg was
anthropomorphicAnthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Examples include animals and plants depicted as creatures with human motivation able to reason and converse and forces of nature such as...
. It was probably styled after primitive "Gothic" representations Mary, the mother of Jesus, with a cast likeness of her on the face. The "
maidenMaiden may refer to:* Maiden or maid, a female virgin or any young female* Maidenhead or maidenhood, virginity...
" was about tall and wide, had double doors, and was big enough to contain an adult man. Inside the
tombA tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
-sized container, the iron maiden was fitted with dozens of sharp spikes. Several nineteenth century iron maidens are on display in museums around the world, but it is unlikely that they were ever employed. The iron maiden probably was not used until the twentieth century, if at all. A crude copy of the Virgin of Nuremberg was found among the palace affects of
Uday HusseinUday Saddam Hussayn al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein and his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the older brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father, however Uday lost this after his erratic behavior and troubled relationship with...
in
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
. It was allegedly used on
IraqiIraqi may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Iraq* Someone or Something of, from, or related to Persian Iraq, an old name for a region in Central Iran**Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi...
soccer players for losing matches, but these claims are unconfirmed.
Inspiration for the "Iron Maiden" may come from a passage in
Augustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , Bishop of Hippo Regius, also known as St. Augustine or St. Austin, was an Algerian Berber philosopher and theologian....
's
The City of God, I.15 which refers to the death of
Marcus Atilius RegulusMarcus Atilius Regulus , a general and consul in the ninth year of the First Punic War . Regulus defeated the Salentini and captured Brundisium during his first term as consul in 267 BC....
. He is recorded therein as having been executed by the Carthaginians who "packed him into a tight wooden box, spiked with sharp nails on all sides, so that he could not lean in any direction without being pierced"., or by the account of
NabisNabis was ruler of Sparta from 207 BC to 192 BC, during the years of the First and Second Macedonian Wars and the War against Nabis. After taking the throne by executing two claimants, he began rebuilding Sparta's power. During the Second Macedonian War, he sided with King Philip V of Macedon and...
of
SpartaSparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the River Eurotas in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars...
's deadly statue of his wife, Apega.
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