From Slavery to Torture Tactics: Seven Fascinating Facts About the Brutal Medieval Prison System

Life in a Medieval Prison 

The medieval prison system was not for the weak, and back in the day things were more brutal and dangerous, Guy Geltner from Princeton University shared in his book The Medieval Prison: A Social History. The crimes for which punishment was meted out in medieval jails ranged from serious offenses like debt and murder to suspicious activities like witchcraft. The individuals were made to live in dungeons which were filthy and unhygienic. They were forced to do unprecedented labor while undergoing constant humiliation from the authorities. Here are seven interesting facts about the medieval prison system.

1. Slavery

Slavery was common in the Middle Ages and the early Modern Age, Rowman & Littlefield reported. It wasn't only the common folks who were subjected to the horrific practice. Many times high-ranking nobles and royalties also became the victims of it. These elites after getting incarcerated had to wait years for their associates or relatives to pay bail or ransom. During that time, they were essentially enslaved by the authorities. The authorities coerced prisoners to provide cheap labor to rich folks in the society.

2. Mingling With the Community

In the medieval period, there wasn't a lot of separation between society and prisoners, according to The Medieval Prison: A Social History. In the book, Geltner focuses on the Italian cities of Bologna, Florence, and Venice and explains how prisoners lived within the community while doing their time. Authorities exerted control over their daily life as well as activities. Officials put them under constant surveillance, but they were more or less free to interact with people around them. In Britain as well as parts of Europe, prostitutes were allegedly smuggled in and out of jail. Officials regulated the interaction between prisoners and the community during incarcerations, rather than rules.

3. Food in Prison

Inmates in medieval prisons had a certain rank attached to them, based on which they were treated by the authorities, as explained in Pain, Penance, and Protest. The ranks determined what kind of food the prisoners were served during their time in custody. These ranks depended on the inmate's social standing and the money they paid the guards. Funds provided by prisoners were a major source of income for the wardens. Food was also used to extract confessions from prisoners. Guards often placed inmates on a "diet" consisting of simple bread made from either bran or barley and water to drink, when they refused to enter a plea.

4. Torture Tactics

Medieval prison system did not shy away from using torture tactics to coerce a confession or keeping inmates in line, Castello di Amorosa reported. Inmates were often attached to iron collars to stop them from escaping. Another form of punishment meted out to the prisoners was starvation. In this method, individuals were made to go without food for days, if they were caught making a mistake. To coerce confession a torture tool named 'The Armchair of Inquiries' was used by officials. In this, the accused was placed on the chair with restrained wrists, which pushed the arms against the armrests. Sometimes officials put weights on the victim’s thighs or feet. The process often continued for hours, even days, till the accused confessed to their crimes. The torture tool continued to be in use till the 20th century.

5. Location of Prisons

In medieval times, prisoners were placed either in basements, dungeons, or abbeys, Reading Museum reported. Most of these facilities were dark and moldy. Authorities also did not invest in these places, to keep them clean. Prisoners were put into unhygienic entrapments and became vulnerable to various diseases during their time in the place. Officials, to teach prisoners a lesson used to leave them in the wall holes of the facility, or trap them in a strange position. Abbeys were also used as prisons for monks, who were usually put there for subordination to their superiors.

6. Pillory

Many prisoners were subjected to the punishment of pillory in the medieval ages, Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre reported. The pillory was a wooden frame that included a plate with holes for their head and hands. The inmates attached to the frame were on display in a public place. The common folks were encouraged to throw things at the inmates and hurl abuse at them. The punishment would go on for hours. Many times authorities went one step ahead and nailed the accused's ears to the pillory. This kind of public humiliation was meted out for political offenses, such as libel and sedition. The most notable case of this punishment was William Prynne (1600-1669) who received the sentence for seditious libel.

7. Getting Out of Prison

Certain interesting practices were used to get people out of prison systems, List Verse reported. A tradition known as "prisoner offerings" was a regular occurrence in Italy that allowed inmates to return to society. The inmates were offered to the patron saint by the monarchy for the goodwill of the empire. Another way, an inmate could guarantee his freedom in Europe was through ransom. If the prisoner's family or acquaintances managed to collect the money desired by authorities, the individual was granted reprieve. This practice was also applied to prisoners of war, who wrote pleas to their families in foreign lands to escape the torture of the prison system they had found themselves in.