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Torture by the Inquisition    

The Inquisiton was an institution made up of mostly Dominican Monks which was
created by the Roman Catholic Church.
It was a court of 'justice' that was used to hunt down and destroy any belief
that conflicted with the teachings of the Church. It used the good old
fashioned Christian methods of torture, maiming and killing as a way of
achieving its goals.
The Templars were now accused of holding heretical beliefs so the Inquisition
set to work extracting confessions to prove their guilt using any means
necessary.
The inquisitors were highly skilled torturers who were experts in inflicting
maximum pain without actually killing their subjects. In the initial stages
of questioning only 36 Templars died in the Paris area during interrogation.
   

The inquisitors used many methods of 'persuasion' to extract information from
their victims.

The Strappardo
One method would involve having the accuseds hands tied behind his back and
then being hoisted up by the wrists onto a large wooden frame called a
Strappardo. To inflict the maximum amount of pain large weights were attached
to the victims feet or testicles and in some extreme cases he was then jerked
violently downwards only to be stopped inches from the floor.
This method called 'Squassation' frequently dislocated the arms of the victim.

Crucifixion
Another particularly cruel method of torture was mock crucifixtion.
The victim was made to stand on a footstool in front of a large wooden door.
One of his arms would be raised vertically above his head and nailed, through
the wrist between the radius and ulna bones, to the door. His other arm was
then stretched out horizontally and nailed to the door in the same way.
The inquisitors then kicked away the footstool, letting the victims full
weight bear down on the nails now supporting his body. His feet were placed
together and a third nail was driven through the first and second Metatarial
bones of his feet.
The inquisitors were now free to apply a varied amount of pain on the hapless
victim. The door could be gently swung to and fro or violently slammed shut
sending shockwaves of pain through the victim.
This method of mock crucifixtion was believed to have been used to extract
the confession from Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Order.

The Foot Oven
Another favoured method was the 'foot oven'. The accused was strapped to a
wooden table, his feet rubbed with animal fat and then placed over an open
fire. The fat would ignite causing the victim incredible pain.
One Templar, Bernard de Vaho, was carried into court to confess holding a box
containing the blackened bones which had dropped from his feet during this
method of interogation.

The Iron Boot
Some victims had their feet clapped in an 'iron boot'. Wooden wedges were
then hammered between their skin and the metal which would slowly cause the
bones in the foot to be compressed and eventually shatter.

Water torture
Victims were sometimes tied down and subjected to Medieval 'water torture'. A
funnel would be inserted into the mouth and jugs of water would be poured
down the throat until the victim either confessed or suffocated.

The methods proved successful - out of the 138 Templars interrogated in Paris
134 confessed to the charges. Whilst they were subjected to these various
forms of barbaric torture many Templars confessed to all sorts of accusations
and strange practices. Many confessed to practising Osculum Infame 'the kiss
of shame' which involved initiates being kissed upon the lower back, navel
and buttocks. Some confesed to idol worship, namely of a bearded male head
called Baphomet.

It is now taken for fact that much of these charges were dreamt up from the
imagination of the accusers. Torture is an unreliable method method of
extracting information as the victim, under such amounts of pain is likely to
admit to almost anything.

One Templar is quoted to have said "Under such torture, I would have
confessed to killing God"    

William Imbert, Chief Inquisitor of France, who was also personal confessor
to Philip, was given the task of interrogating the Orders Grand Master -
Jaques de Molay.

Imbert was desribed as being "...deeply versed in all inquisitorial arts and
practices" and Molay despite being a strong man quickly broke down and
confessed to the crimes. The questioning took place at the Order's very own
Paris Temple, and it is believed that Imbert used methods such as whipping,
beating and eventually the extremley barbaric method of mock crucifixtion.  
 

Not every country supported the actions of Philip as readily. Even though the
Pope ordered that all members of the Order were to be arrested England,
Scotland, Ireland and Portugal were not keen to carry out his command.
Scotland was actually at war at the time so the Papal Bull was never
officially recognised so many Scottish Templars escaped persecution.
Eventually the other countries agreed to carry out the Papal command but the
inquisitors were never as successful as their French counterparts.

The once proud Order now lay in ruins. Members were either imprisoned, killed
or were hiding in fear of their safety.
In a few years time Pope Clement V was to drive the final nail into the
Templar coffin and seal the fate of the Grand Master, Jaques de Molay.

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