Exploring the historical reality of the Iron Maiden torture device

In humanity's darkest hour, many torture devices existed to strike fear in the hearts of men. One medieval torture device, consisting of a human-sized sarcophagus lined with spikes, would slowly and painfully kill its victims. The story of the Iron Maiden seems almost too gruesome to be true. And in many cases, it is. Today, we're exploring if the Iron Maiden actually existed. As medieval torture devices go, the Iron Maiden was a bit of a doozy. Considered to be one of the most brutal torture devices of all time, it caused a slow and painful death. What else would you expect from an upright coffin filled with spikes? The Iron Maiden was large enough to fit an adult. And let's just say the spike-lined interior wasn't just for show. After being forced into the hideous device, Iron Maiden victims would slowly bleed out from multiple piercing wounds. It was not a quick death. But as gruesome as it sounds, the Iron Maiden didn't actually exist during the medieval period. Wait a minute, what? The Iron Maiden appeared in the history books much, much later. While it definitely seems like something Henry VIII would have kept around for special occasions, the Iron Maiden didn't appear in historical texts until much later, in the 1800s. Prior to that, there are no references to the torture device from medieval times. In the 19th century, Iron Maidens began to appear across Europe, along with gruesome tales of their use and history. One of the devices even made an appearance at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. That same Iron Maiden was taken on an American tour shortly thereafter. Hello, Cleveland. I am an Iron Maiden. The first recorded references to the Iron Maiden came from the writings of German philosopher Johann Philipp Siebenkais, who detailed a fictional account of a coin forger's execution in 1515 Nuremberg. Siebenkais wrote about it in gruesome, vivid detail for a guidebook to the city, slowly, so that the very sharp points penetrated his arms and his legs in several places, and his belly and chest, and his bladder, and the root of his member, and his eyes, and his shoulders, and his buttocks. Siebenkais wrote, but not enough to kill him. And so he remained making great cry and lament for two days, after which he died. The story caught Victorian collector Matthew Peacock's attention. Peacock built a functional version of the Iron Maiden from bits of memorabilia. He'd collected and sold the invention to a museum. Visitors to the museum marveled at the device, believing it to be real. After that, word of the device and its supposed dark origin spread, perpetuating the legend of the Iron Maiden. Speaking of museums, pop culture might sometimes make it seem like Iron Maidens were everywhere during medieval times. But that simply wasn't the case. Travel to any torture museum in Europe, and you'll undoubtedly come across a sinister sarcophagus or two on display. One of the great unknown factors is where all of them came from in the first place. The answer may shock you. Iron Maidens were basically invented to be museum exhibits, ostensibly to terrify museum visitors. I thought that was the Scream's job. In 1802, one of the devices was displayed in Nuremberg. This became the famous Iron Maiden of Nuremberg. The original was lost during the 1945 Allied bombing of Nuremberg, but a copy was auctioned off in the 1960s and is currently displayed at the medieval crime museum Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Reflecting on the medieval times from a modern perspective, you might perceive the period as being a bit on the barbaric side. In the 18th century, a similar notion took hold of public opinion, allowing the sordid myth of the Iron Maiden to spread like wildfire. Some enlightened thinkers used the story of the device as a way to prove the Middle Ages were an uncivilized time. After all, they surmised, only a brutal medieval sadist could invent a device like the Iron Maiden. In reality, the Iron Maiden was invented by an 18th century historian who believed his own time to be superior, using the Iron Maiden as the focal point of a hoax intended to cast shade on the medieval period. Talk about a few wasted years. While the legend of the Iron Maiden was running free in the public's imagination, Matthew Peacock saw an opportunity to reinforce his claims of 18th century superiority. He reportedly said the device was meant to show the dark spirit of the Middle Ages in contrast to the progress of humanity. Huh, now we have friends on Facebook to do that. As the tale of the Iron Maiden circulated during the 19th century, the story took a few elaborate turns. One story involved the Catholic Church. According to the rumor, the church used Iron Maidens during the Inquisition, ostensibly to torment and sacrifice non-believers. Knowing that fear is the key, some claimed the woman's head ornament that sits on top of the insidious device represented the Virgin Mary. The reason for this is pretty twisted. It was thought the Iron Maidens' victims would see the depiction of the Virgin Mary before being sealed inside the device. Her presence symbolized the victory of religion over heresy. In German, the head was referred to as Jungfrau, the German word for spinster. Speaking of German Iron Maidens, one of the most famous Iron Maidens in history was the Nuremberg Maiden, located in Germany. The device incorporated some cutting-edge technology for the period. According to 19th century historian Dr. Wiley, the Nuremberg Maiden operated with a series of buttons to accomplish its devious effects. One button seized the victim. Another slammed the door shut, starting up the whirling blades inside. A third button popped open a trap door that dropped the victim's lifeless body into the river below. Dr. Wiley asserted these mechanical abilities never existed during the medieval era. Daniel Mannix confirmed this in his 1964 book on the history of torture, saying, nothing short of the International Business Machines Corporation could manufacture such a complicated apparatus. I guess IBM missed the boat on that one. Proving that humanity has always been somewhat cruel, the idea of torturing other people with spikes goes way back. A device similar to the Iron Maiden actually appeared in a 5th century book, The City of God. Written by St. Augustine, it described the torture of Roman general Marcus Aetilius Regulus by the Carthaginians. They shut him up in a narrow box in which he was compelled to stand, and in which finely sharpened nails were fixed all round about him, so that he could not lean upon any part of it without intense pain. And so they killed him by depriving him of sleep. Well, that's one horrible way to go. While it was similar to an Iron Maiden, the spikes didn't actually pierce the unfortunate Roman general. There's also little evidence to prove the device described by Augustine existed in the first place. But that wasn't the only case of ancient history where similar devices are described. It goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Around 100 BC, the Greek historian Polybius described a reverse version of the Iron Maiden. The story tells of the Spartan tyrant, Nabis, who made a statue of his wife, but chose a bizarre accessory to go with it. He covered it in iron nails. When tax time rolled around, Nabis forced any Spartan who refused to pay their taxes to embrace the statue. Ouch, ooh, ow, ow, ow. Garnishing my wages will be fine. Both her arms and hands, as well as her breasts, were covered with iron nails, so that when Nabis rested his hands on her back, and then by means of certain springs drew his victim towards her, he made the man thus embraced saying anything and everything. Indeed, by this means, he killed a considerable number of those who denied him money. And you thought the IRS was tough. Though the Iron Maiden itself was essentially a 19th century fabrication, medieval Europeans did use a punishment device called the Schandmantel. The name Schandmantel translates to coat of shame in the German language. And while it bore some similarity to the Iron Maiden, it was decidedly not one of the mythological devices. Instead, the prisoner had their torso sealed into a barrel with their head and legs left free. It resembled the ancient humiliation device known as a pillory, or the stock, and wasn't intended to kill the victim. Of course, non-lethal humiliating barrel doesn't have quite the same ring to it as coffin filled with spikes. So while it may have inspired the Iron Maiden myth, it certainly bore no resemblance to the torture device. Back in the halcyon days of 2003, looters raided the compound of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's murderous son, Uday, following his death. Known for his cruelty and murderous tendencies, Uday would regularly have poor-performing athletes tortured throughout his tenure as head of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and the Iraq Football Association. But the worst part was the Iron Maiden that was found within view of Uday's offices, toppled over and covered in leaves. Per a 2003 report from Time magazine journalist Bobby Ghosh, the one found in Baghdad was clearly worn from use. its nails having lost some of their sharpness. It lay on its side within view of Uday's first floor offices in the soccer association. Ironically, the torture device was brought to Time's attention by a group of looters who had been stripping the compound of anything of value. They had left behind the Iron Maiden, believing it to be worthless. Despite the worn nails, no blood was found on the device, suggesting it may have only been there to scare and intimidate. But given Uday Hussein's penchant for causing harm to others, it's entirely likely he used the cruel device for its intended purpose. The world may never know, and that's a terrifying prospect indeed.