In theory, the Inquisition did not apply the death penalty, as well as confiscation. Originally, the sentence was only a simple conviction for heresy, and was accompanied by excommunication or a declaration that the guilty person was no longer considered within the jurisdiction of the court of the church; sometimes it was added that a heretic is handed over to a secular court - that "he is set free"; this meant that the direct intervention of the church in his fate was over. As time went on, judgments often began to mention that the church could do nothing more to atone for the sins of the guilty; his transfer into the hands of secular authorities was accompanied by the words: “May he be punished according to his deserts!” At a later time, they were supplemented by a hypocritical appeal, with which the Inquisition conjured the secular authorities to spare the life and body of the fallen; however, it has never been formulated precisely.
The appeal to mercy was an empty formality, they resorted to it, only so that it would not seem that the inquisitors agreed to the shedding of blood, since this would be a violation of church canons. But at the same time, the church vigilantly watched that its resolution was not interpreted wrongly, that is, in favor of a heretic; she taught that there could be no question of any indulgence if the heretic did not repent and did not betray all his adherents. One of the theologians of the XIII century proclaimed: “The goal of the Inquisition is the destruction of heresy; heresy cannot be destroyed without the destruction of heretics; and heretics cannot be destroyed unless the defenders and supporters of heresy are also destroyed, and this can be achieved in two ways: by converting them to the true Catholic faith, or by reducing their flesh to ashes after they have been handed over into the hands of secular power.
The secular authorities, however, believed that by burning heretics they were fulfilling the orders of the Inquisition. In an order given on November 9, 1431, by Philip the Handsome of Burgundy to his officials, it is said that it is their duty to punish heretics "as the inquisitor prescribes and according to custom." The 15th-century inquisitor Sprenger, no longer embarrassed, speaks of the victims "which he ordered to be burned." In the 17th century, Cardinal Albizio declared: “The inquisitors in all processes usually pass the final sentence, and if it is a death sentence, then it is directly and necessarily carried out by the doge and the senate” (it was about Venice).
The church gave absolution to all those who brought wood for the fire. In the 13th century, Gregory IX did not hesitate to assert that the church was obliged to shed the blood of heretics. Boniface VIII introduced into canon law a reminder to secular authorities, under pain of excommunication, that all who were handed over to them by the Inquisition would be subject to "swift and just" punishment. Inquisitors, however, were instructed to always speak of "doing the law" without mentioning the nature of the punishment, although everyone knew that the only punishment for an unrepentant heretic was death at the stake.
It should be noted that the secular authorities did not show disgust before the performance of their terrible duty. The laws of all the states of Europe sentenced heretics to be burned alive, and even the free republics of Italy recognized in the person of the inquisitor a judge who was to be obeyed without reasoning. Even Raymond of Toulouse, who himself survived the persecution, ordered eighty people to be burned alive in Berlège, near Agen, - however, this happened in a pious impulse that preceded his death.
If, however, for one reason or another, the secular authorities did not dare to execute a heretic, then the church immediately intervened in the matter. So, for example, in 1237 in France, the inquisitors condemned ten men and women as heretics, but the officials refused to “accept” the convicts, confiscate their property and “treat them as it is customary to deal with heretics”, in other words, they refused to burn them alive. The inquisitors immediately excommunicated these officials from the church. In 1288, Nicholas IV excommunicated and ordered the dismissal of the secular authorities of many cities that evaded the execution of the Inquisition's sentences, and also imposed an interdict on the urban communities themselves. In 1458, in Strasbourg, the burgomaster and his comrades refused to burn the Hussite missionary and his maid, but the church forced them to carry out the sentence. In 1486, the city authorities of Brescia made an attempt to give, bypassing the verdict of the Inquisition, the life of several sorcerers and sorceresses; moreover, they wished to familiarize themselves with the case. But Pope Innocent VIII was not slow to announce that this desire was offensive to the faith, and ordered them to be excommunicated if they did not execute the condemned within six days; municipal laws that contradicted this requirement were declared null and void. In 1521, Pope Leo X vigorously confirmed to the inquisitor and episcopal judges of Venice that their sentences must be carried out without any revision or further investigation, and that otherwise they could impose any spiritual punishment on officials. In general, secular authorities were generally required to send people to the stake, otherwise they themselves could be accused of heresy.
The constantly repeated teaching of the church deeply convinced its best representatives that the burning of a heretic is an act of the greatest justice, and a condescending attitude towards heretics is a heresy worthy of the most severe condemnation. Thus it was agreed by all that heretics should be burned; this opinion was the fruit of education, which was subjected to generation after generation in the Middle Ages. Anyone who did not profess the Catholic faith, defended other beliefs and refused to renounce them, was considered a heretic; for the most stubborn and hardened there was only one punishment - a fire.
But the inquisitor was not always in a hurry to condemn the heretic to death. And the point here is not a concern about the possible salvation of the soul; a former heretic converted to Catholicism, betraying his accomplices, was much more useful to the church than a charred corpse; therefore, they spared no effort to achieve renunciation. In addition, the experience of the Inquisition, accumulated over the years, showed that fanatical people often longed for torment and themselves wished for death at the stake; therefore, the inquisitor was not supposed to be the executor of their desires. The Inquisition knew that the first fervor often gave way to the action of time; therefore she preferred to keep the stubborn heretic, alone and chained, in prison for a year or more. Only theologians and lawyers were allowed to see him, whose task was to influence his mind, and his wife and children, who could soften his will. And only when all efforts did not lead to anything, the heretic was "released"; but even after that, the execution was postponed for a day, so that he could recant, which, however, rarely happened, since those who had not yielded until that time usually did not succumb to any persuasion.
If at the last minute the stubbornness of a heretic was broken and he expressed a desire to repent, then it was recognized that his conversion was caused by fear, and he was left in prison for life. Sometimes renunciation of heresy was accepted right at the stake, although there were no specific rules regarding this. Inquisitor Emeric tells of an incident in Barcelona during the burning of three heretics; one of them, a priest, broken by terrible suffering, when part of his body was already exposed to unbearable heat, cried out that he wanted to recant; the poor fellow was removed from the fire and accepted from him a renunciation, but after fourteen years they learned that he continues to profess heresy and even seduces others; then they burned it without much delay.
As early as 1184, the Decree of Verona of Pope Lucius III prescribed that any recidivist heretic who, after abdication, fell into the same heresy, should be extradited to secular courts without a new interrogation. According to Frederick II's Edict of Ravenna in 1232, all those who fell back into heresy were to be put to death - with particular attention paid to those who renounced heresy, having only one goal - to avoid punishment. In 1244, the Narbonne Council mentions a large number of such cases and once again confirms the transfer of the perpetrators into the hands of secular authorities without a new trial. Pope Alexander IV speaks of the same in his bull in 1258. Characteristically, the remark made at the same time is that the church is by no means closed to recidivists who have repented for the second time, since they can receive Holy Communion even at the stake, but even repentance cannot save them from death. The papal decision thus motivated was entered into the canon laws. In such cases, the promise to give communion at the last minute was included in the sentence, and the victim was always accompanied to the stake by clergy who tried to "save her soul."
An imaginary or actual return to heresy has become the most frequent reason for the death penalty since the middle of the 13th century. Heretic heroes who longed for a martyr's crown were relatively rare, but there were many people who did not want to renounce their faith and, having escaped death for the first time, hoped that in the future they would be able to better hide their views. All of this has given new meaning to the church's desire to rigorously define the notion of a return to heresy, and has given rise to much controversy. Where guilt itself is almost imperceptible, the task of measuring and defining it is certainly not an easy one.
There were cases when the first trial ended with the acquittal of the accused, but he remained under suspicion without any evidence, and it seemed strange to condemn him to death on the combination of two crimes when he was not caught in the first. Perplexed at the resolution of this issue, the inquisitors turned to Pope Alexander IV, who gave them a very definite answer. If the suspicion in the first case was grave, he replied, then one should, "admitting a kind of legal fiction," consider it as evidence of the guilt of a person, and therefore he should be convicted. If the suspicion was light, then the accused should be punished more severely than those punished for the crime for the first time, but not to apply to him the full penalties laid down for recidivists. In addition, weak evidence was sufficient to establish a secondary crime: it was enough that the accused entered into relations with a heretic or showed him a friendly disposition. This explanation was repeatedly confirmed by Alexander and his successors, with an insistence which shows how many misunderstandings arose on this basis; but in the end the condemnation of recidivists was introduced into canon law and became an inviolable law.
There was another category of criminals: those who escaped from prison or carelessly carried out the penance imposed on him. According to the theory, penitents were considered sincerely converted, “who joyfully accepted the penance,” but if one of them did it not zealously enough, it was believed that the conversion was insincere, and this entailed serious sanctions. Those who were seen in non-fulfillment of penance were looked upon as repeat offenders. A resolute refusal to perform penance was considered a sign of malicious heresy and led straight to the stake. The Council of Valenciennes in 1248 decreed that heretics should first be admonished, but if after that they continued to persist in their errors, they should be dealt with in the most severe manner; the fact of non-fulfillment of the penance was sometimes even included in the verdict, and the violators were sometimes equated with perjurers and unrepentant heretics. As for those who escaped from prison, they were considered recidivist heretics, and they were handed over to secular authorities without any trial as the first candidates for the fire. Heretics who converted to Catholicism and swore to extradite all accomplices known to them, but did not do so, were also counted among the recidivists.
Burning a person just because he believes differently than others, now seems such a dramatic cruelty and is so amazing that in the end they began to see it as an essential feature of the activity of the Inquisition. But it must be remembered that among the other punishments imposed by her sentences, the fire was comparatively less common. Inquisitor Bernard Guy, during his activity in Toulouse (1308-1323), sent six hundred and thirty-seven heretics to the stake and delivered sixty-seven sentences, according to which the remains of the dead were burned. At the same time, thousands of heretics were converted to Catholicism. The fact is that the inquisitors sought more conversions, exposures and confiscations than an increase in the number of martyrs. Bonfires supported in the population the horror, which was considered saving. Prisons, mass confiscations and humiliating penances were the main punishments of the Inquisition. And the very existence of the invisible, but omniscient police was a living hell for the inhabitants who were in constant fear.
During the execution, when the crowd gathered to watch the death agony of the martyrs, the inquisitors, in order not to soften the fanaticism of the spectators, tried not to show even the slightest pity for the unfortunate. The culprit was not strangled before the wood was set on fire, as was the practice in the later Spanish Inquisition; gunpowder had not yet been invented, and therefore a sack of gunpowder was not yet tied around the neck of the victim in order to shorten his torment when the flames engulfed him. Usually, the executed heretic was tied to a post that towered over a pile of firewood so high that the audience could see all his torment. The priests accompanied their victim to the last minute in the hope of wresting, if possible, the lost soul from the claws of the devil; if the poor fellow was not a recidivist, he could recant at the last minute and save his body. The participants in the ceremony were strictly forbidden to convince the unfortunate victim to die without resistance, or to climb the scaffold with a firm step, or courageously give themselves into the hands of the executioner, because by giving such advice, they could hasten its end and thereby allow “wrongness”. Usually the execution was carried out on a holiday, so that more people could gather and the spectacle fulfilled its educational function, for the sake of which everything was started; out of fear that the victim would arouse feelings of pity or sympathy in the audience, she was often gagged.
Minor details are known to us from the report of one witness to the execution of Jan Hus in Konstanz in 1415. The heretic stood between two bundles of brushwood; they tied him tightly to a thick post, with ropes around his ankles, knees, waist, between his legs and under his arms; a chain was put around his neck. Then they noticed that he turned his face to the east, and since this was considered indecent for a heretic, he was turned to face the west. He was lined up to the chin with bundles of brushwood and straw. After that, Count Palatine Louis, who was watching the execution, went up to the scaffold together with the Prevost of Constance and for the last time invited Hus to abdicate. When he refused, they moved away and clapped their hands, which was a sign to light a fire. When the fire had consumed everything, they proceeded to the final destruction of the charred corpse; it was torn to pieces and broken bones, and then the remains and entrails were again thrown into the fire.
When it was feared that those present would keep the remains of the martyr for worship, then after the fire was extinguished, the ashes were carefully collected and thrown into running water.
Reports have been preserved indicating the costs that were required for the execution of heretics. Here, for example, is a detailed record of expenses for the burning of four heretics in Carcassonne on April 24, 1323: “Firewood - 55 sous 6 deniers; brushwood - 21 sous 3 denier; straw - 2 sous 6 denier; 4 pillars - 10 sous 9 denier; ropes - 4 sous 7 denier; the executioner 20 sous per head - a total of 80 sous ... ”A little more than two livres for each executed heretic.
In 1237, in Toulouse, many people were dug out of the graves, recognized as heretics after death. Their half-decomposed corpses were dragged through the streets, a herald walked in front and shouted: "Whoever does this, this is how he will perish"; then they were burned at the stake "for the glory of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, and Blessed Dominic, their minister." This procedure, despite the fact that it was rather expensive, became a tradition and was maintained throughout the existence of the Inquisition, and a lot of money was spent on it.
The fire also served the Inquisition in order to cleanse the country of "contagious and heretical writings"; this was the beginning of censorship, which later occupied a prominent place in the activities of the Inquisition. In 1210, an order was issued to burn the heretical writings of David de Dinan, as well as Aristotle's Physics and Metaphysics. By order of James I of Aragon, non-canonical translations of the Holy Scriptures were burned. They burned the essay of William of Saint-Amour "Experiments".
Jews' books, above all the Talmud, aroused particular hatred; the church spared no effort to destroy them. This persecution was initiated by the converted Jew Nicola de Rupella, who, around 1236, drew the attention of Gregory IX to the blasphemy contained in Jewish books, especially the Talmud. In June 1239, Gregory demanded from the kings of England, France, Navarre, Aragon, Castile and Portugal, as well as the prelates of these kingdoms, that on the Saturday of the coming Lent, when all the Jews were in their synagogues, all their books were seized and given to the monks of the mendicant orders. . In May 1248, fourteen cartloads of books were burned in Paris, and then six more. In 1255 Saint Louis ordered the seneschals of the province of Narbonne to destroy all copies of the Talmud, as well as all other books "containing blasphemy". In 1267, Clement IV ordered the Archbishop of Aragon to force the King of Aragon and his lords, under pain of excommunication, to order the Jews to give the Talmud and other books to the inquisitors. Books that did not reveal blasphemy were to be returned, and the rest sealed and hidden in a safe place. In 1299, Philip the Handsome ordered his judges to assist the inquisitors in destroying the Talmud. In 1309, four heaps of Hebrew books were publicly burned in Paris. In 1319, two carts were needed to carry Jewish books condemned at the auto-da-fé in Toulouse. In 1554, Pope Julius III confirmed the demand of the Inquisition addressed to the Jews: they were ordered, under pain of death, to give out all books containing blasphemous references to Christ; this papal injunction was incorporated into canon law.
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This is the seventh part of a series of articles about the "saint". The first part, which tells about the prerequisites for educationthis organization, the second part,telling about the denunciations and the conduct of the investigation. The third part, which tells about the procedures for interrogation and detention of persons under investigation. The fourth part is about torture and the search for devil's marks. The fifth part tells about how the recognition was knocked out, as well as the secrecy of the organization and its profitability. The sixth part is about punishments and auto-da-fé.
Bonfire
The "brazier" was a scaffold with a pillar in the center, to which the convict was tied and surrounded with pre-delivered firewood and brushwood. Before burning, heretics and witches, by agreement, were first strangled with the help of a garrote (rope noose with a stick) or hanging. This act of mercy was used to prevent the condemned from retracting their confessions and "voluntarily" confirming them. However, if the accused persisted and obviously did not repent, or before the execution they did something that was not included in the plans - they preached, cursed, shouted about their innocence - they were burned alive. (And in Italy and Spain they burned only alive). This forced most of the condemned to remain silent in order to avoid the horrific at the stake. For especially malicious, in the eyes of the condemned, a fire was made from raw wood in order to prolong the execution. Raw wood instead of dry brushwood slowed down the burning and made it longer and more painful.
Some, half-burned, climbed out of the fire, and were thrown there again until they were completely burned. And before burning, they could be prescribed an additional punishment in the form of cutting off arms, legs, crushing bones, tearing out pieces of flesh with red-hot tongs. The monks and "relatives" who accompanied the stubborn heretics to the stake tried at that last minute to extort renunciation from their own.
Such a convict could only give a sign of his desire to repent, since, fearing that he would agitate before the people in favor of heresy, he was often led to execution with a gag in his mouth. When the fire was lit, especially respected parishioners were given the honorable right to throw brushwood into the fire, thereby increasing their virtues before the church. If a person sentenced to the stake died before execution, then his corpse was burned. The remains of those who were posthumously condemned were also burned. In Spanish and Portuguese, it was customary to burn dolls depicting convicts (execution in efigie) at the stake.
Punishment of children
Children under 14 could receive a lighter sentence. Johannes Pott (1689) mentions a 9-year-old girl from Rintel who was accused of intercourse with the devil; she was only flogged while watching her grandmother being burned. In Utrecht, on August 1, 1595, Volker Dirksen and his daughter, after severe torture, confessed that they were werewolves and killed cattle. His three sons, aged 8 to 14, were sentenced to oversee their burning, after which they were to be flogged until they bled. But then Nicola Remy on this occasion expressed regret that he did not sentence these children to be burned. As Sir George Mackenzie, King's lawyer, said: "It all depends on our whim." And there are plenty of examples of executions of very young children.
Permanent tribunals
Wherever she found fertile ground for her activities, she founded permanent tribunals. And, as Johann Lieden says, "hardly a severe plague or the most ruthless invader could have subjected the territory to such a devastating effect as persecution that knew no boundaries ..."
The Inquisition of the Catholic Church, as a body responsible for the purity of religious doctrine and having the power to search for all unrighteous thinkers, existed from 1184 to 1834.
The history of the Holy Inquisition
The Christian Church from the very beginning of its existence was subjected to various false teachings that confused the mind and consciousness of the believing people. The concept of heresy arises as a doctrine that contradicts the Holy Tradition of the Church. In heresies, the authority of the main truths of Christian doctrine was questioned.
In order to combat heretics and restore the triumph of orthodox Christianity, Ecumenical and Local Councils met. Later, after the division of the Churches in 1054, the West took a different path. Heresies still continued to exist, and heretics became more and more. In order to combat the Catholic Church with false dogmas, a special court was created to investigate the facts of the occurrence of heresies.
In 1215, Pope Innocent III founded a special body of church court, called the "Holy Inquisition". Approximately the same time coincides with the creation of the Order of the Dominicans, who were charged with the duty of inquiry in cases of false dogmas in the Catholic Church.
The history of the Inquisition spans several centuries. During this time, all of Western Europe used the services of inquisitors specially appointed by the cardinals. Such an ecclesiastical judgment inspired terror in people's minds. Those who did not have the sin of spreading heresies among the masses were also in fear.
Who was judged by the Holy Inquisition
The main purpose of the creation of the Inquisition was the struggle of the Church against heretics. In this way, she sought to protect herself from harmful heretical teachings that prevent a person from achieving salvation. As the decades progressed, the trial of heretics developed and the Catholic Church began to venture into the realm of judicial inquiry, from which many innocent people suffered.
The inquisitor interrogated a suspected heresy in the presence of several priests. In case of refusal to accept guilt, various tortures were carried out. Sometimes everything ended in death. The favorite execution of the inquisitors was burning alive at the stake. A person spreading heresy was considered a servant of the devil, and everyone tainted with a connection with demonic forces had to endure torment not only after death, but also during life. Therefore, the fire of a fire was considered as a punishment. In another interpretation, this was a necessary means of purification.
Starting from the end of the 15th century, the Inquisition began to pay special attention to the fight against witches and sorcerers. It was this time of fires and cruel executions of all those who were accused of witchcraft. It should be noted that there were also numerous false denunciations.
In addition to witches and heretics, scientists who expressed their scientific views that contradicted the teachings of the Catholic Church about the existence of the world could also be subjected to trial. History preserves the names of many bonfire victims convicted for their scientific outlook. In total, more than a million people suffered from the activities of the inquisitors. The Inquisitors had the power to burn people as they saw fit, attributing guilt to heresy, witchcraft, or a wrong worldview. It wasn't until the 19th century that the Catholic Church moved away from such a terrible practice that innocent people could suffer.
The windows of the third floor of the maternity hospital were for some reason taken away with a lattice of thick reinforcing wire, repeatedly painted with oil paint. Either they were afraid that babies would be kidnapped, or they warned against mothers escaping. Be that as it may, it was absolutely impossible to wash the windows through the bars, and the glass was gradually and inevitably covered with dust mixed with gasoline fumes, exhaust gases and all the other filth that the city emitted. As in everything, there was some benefit here - visitors could be clearly seen from the windows, who stupidly crowded in the courtyard not knowing how to behave, where to put themselves and in general what to do with these stupid bouquets packed in cellophane film and tied with some kind of curly ribbons. However, even in this form, the visitors delighted the young mothers, who stood invisible behind the muddy windows.
Anna went to the window, as if sensing that Eugene was about to come up. And indeed - she saw him at the gate, but he behaved strangely - he did not go into the courtyard of the maternity hospital, as if something on the street was holding him, as if some kind of force did not allow him to step over an invisible line.
A few minutes passed, and Anna guessed - Eugene was talking to someone who was standing behind the brick column of the gate and he didn’t dare to cut off the conversation, either he didn’t have the strength for it, or he simply didn’t want to cut off what was important to him talk. And then, suddenly, right before her eyes, something impossible happened - a woman came out from behind a brick column of the gate, quickly hugged Yevgeny on the go and immediately disappeared behind the second column, having managed to wave goodbye, they say, hurry up, I'll wait for you - like this about the meaning was in her swing.
And as if the world staggered under Anna. Grabbing the backs of the bed with her hands, she went to her corner and not so much sat down as collapsed on the crumpled blanket.
And then it started.
Her stomach was literally shaking, there was such an impression that a creature was tossing and turning inside her, which could hardly be called a child. Anna turned pale, and, losing consciousness, fell across the bed.
The newborn was brought an hour after birth. Some kind of shriveled senile physiognomy peeped out of the bundle and smiled disgustingly. It was impossible to call “it” a child, even with a big stretch. The revolving eyes gleamed nastily from under the washed-out cap, the rat's nose was constantly sniffing something out and turning of itself in different directions. But when he opened his displeasedly pursed, thin lips and yelled with a terribly disgusting squeak, his own mother lost her senses.
No less frightened doctors nevertheless brought the mother to her senses, put the bundle with the child on the bed and simply ran away from the ward. “It” again emitted a shrill squeak and crawled, continuously sniffing and smacking its lips. The goal was reached quickly, and he greedily dug into his chest. Champing and constantly spitting up, he began to devour mother's milk.
Nausea rose up in the nurse's throat and she made great efforts to tear this creature from her chest and run to the washbasin to get rid of the remnants of the hospital dinner.
"Go feed the baby, you vile witch!" She heard a disgruntled, irritated voice. I got to you. Now I'll take it out. You can't get away from me.
Anna looked in the direction of the speaker and froze. A newborn was sitting on the bed and with nervous movements he got out of the diapers. Bony knees stuck out in different directions. Eyes of different colors stared angrily at the woman in labor. There was a dark birthmark on his forehead.
-Who are you? - Anna squeezed out of her last strength.
- You don't admit it? Forgotten, devilish whore?! - and he, having fallen off the bed, staggered, walked towards her, waving his ugly limbs.
_______
The jailer roughly pushed Anna into the cell. She could not resist and fell face down on the threshold. The door slammed shut.
After the previous torture, which consisted of continuous walking to speed up her confessions, with sleep deprivation, she felt exhausted and weakened. In addition, a wild desire to drink did not leave his thoughts. All those terrible days that she spent in prison, she was fed only salted food. All drinks were mixed with herring brine. She was not given a sip of water to keep her in a state of constant thirst, which was one of the most sophisticated forms of torture.
But such a cruel, violent, sizzling thirst, the inquisitors did not consider torture. Even when the prisoners were crushed like grapes in a vise or pulled out like a leather skin on a rack, this was also not considered torture. The courts relied on the sadism of witch persecutors. And they were not mistaken in their expectations.
Someone invisible turned the key in the lock. The echo responded with the same rusty, raspy sound. A damp, stale smell wafted into his face. Here, even the walls seemed to be saturated with human suffering, and blood oozed from them.
She found herself in a cramped, stinking dungeon with small arched windows through which the sun barely filtered through. Through the foggy veil, the fuzzy outlines of terrifying contraptions appeared. A prisoner on charges of witchcraft understood where she was.
Suddenly harsh voices made her shudder.
“Because you don’t understand our benevolent attitude, you were brought to the torture chamber,” the judge muttered in a disgusting drawl.
“This kind person,” the judge pointed with feigned courtesy in the direction of the person who heated the tongs on an open fire, “will save your sinful soul. If you continue to remain silent and indulge the demons, he will have to apply everything that you see here to you.
The judge nodded to the clerk, who was seated at a table in the corner of the cell, -
-Let's get started. How long have you been a witch?
-I'm not a witch.
-Don't be persistent! - the judge leaned under the table and pulled out a wooden box. - Here is the same box, locked with three locks, into which parishioners threw notes for fifteen days. And your name, with the facts, places and times of sorcery, is extremely common in it. According to public opinion, you are suspected of witchcraft. Thus, the accusation is proven.
- Who accuses me?
“No one will tell you that, so that you don’t harm honorable people with your damn deeds. But what they are accused of - you are obliged to know and confess during interrogation.
- I have nothing to confess.
- Refresh your memory! Didn't you sign a pact with the devil?! Declared submission to him. Renounce the vows given before the Lord?! For this alone you must die!
These accusations do not apply to me.
- For the sake of retribution to the Lord and man, you harmed people and animals with your curses, on which you caused misfortunes and diseases with the help of the power and activity of the devil, your master.
- I have no enemies to curse them.
Whether you confess or not, the result will be the same. Your guilt is obvious - you will be executed. Any renunciation is in vain. The torture will continue - twice, thrice, four times. To infinity. You can't justify. That's not why we arrested you and put you in chains. Your guilt will be proven.
By any means ... - the judge neighed vilely, exchanging glances with his accomplices.
-You will be in prison filth and stench, given to the ghosts of the devil and endure endless torture until you prefer death to this disgusting existence and confession to all crimes.
“Time to get started,” the Inquisitor said dryly. Her silence is caused by devilish spells.
The long-awaited executioner began his usual work.
To begin with, he undressed her and the participants in the interrogation began to examine the body in order to detect the stigma of the devil. They quickly found what they were looking for. The desired “object” was hidden under the knee with a small birthmark.
- How long has the witch mark been on your body? the inquisitor asked.
- Since birth. Only it's not a witch's mark.
“This stigma is evidence enough that you could be executed for witchcraft even without your confessions,” the inquisitor flashed with his knowledge of witch trials.
There were many of them behind his backbone. Their heartbreaking screams, screams and curses. Anna was about to experience everything. This was just the beginning. She stood naked in front of these non-humans and burned with shame and dishonor, under their longed-for looks. But very soon she forgot about her nakedness. The torture that followed made her forget everything.
With a rope attached to a hook on the ceiling, the executioner tied her hands behind her back, then lifted her into the air, sharply pulling the end of the rope. For greater effect, he tied a weight to her legs to twist her shoulder joint without leaving a trace of rough handling.
While she was held in a hanging position, the inquisitors tried to continue the interrogation again. Interrupting and not hearing each other.
- How did you become a witch, what happened to you in connection with this?
-I'm not a witch.
-What was your master's name among the evil demons?
- I did not have such owners. It wasn’t!” Anna screamed in despair.
- Lying, you devilish spawn! - the inquisitor hit her in the face, and then, grabbing her hair, glared at her with his crazy eyes. And Anna noticed again - his eyes were of different colors.
What is the flying salve you use on your broom made of? - The Inquisitor pulled her hair harder, approached her face even closer, breathing the fetid fumes of daily "communions". - Your persistence will lead you to the fire. But if you confess everything, you will be pardoned. Tell me, what demons and other people participated in the Sabbath?
- I was not at the Sabbath. I don't know the people who participate in them.
- How do you manage to fly through the air, and what magic words do you whisper while doing this?
- I can't fly through the air. Except in dreams.
“Their dreams are reality,” the judge joined in the interrogation. Tell us, in your dreams, who you have chosen as your incubus / roommate /. What was his name?
- I don't have a roommate. All the more so, - even overcoming the ever-increasing pain, Anna blushed.
- Lying, you fucking bitch. What oath were you forced to pronounce to him? What did your incubus give you after intercourse with you?
- I don't know anything, what you're asking me about!
-Go on, the inquisitor said indifferently, turning to the executioner.
The executioner activated the diabolical hanging machine and loosened the rope. The victim was thrown from a height, so that it did not reach several centimeters to the floor. The bones cracked. Anna screamed in unbearable pain.
“The twisting of the hands was successful,” the executioner joked.
"But that's not enough for her," the inquisitor concluded.
The executioner doused her head with alcohol and set fire to her hair. The cell was filled with the acrid smell of burnt hair and the screams of the victim.
"It's time for us to rest," the inquisitor suggested wryly. Her hair smells disgusting. It's impossible to be here.
"Indeed, let's go out to dinner," the others agreed.
They left it hanging for three to five hours.
They returned rested, cheered up after drinking a bottle and ready for new exploits. The inquisitor had the strength to joke. Passing by the hanging Anna, he scratched her behind the ear like a cat.
- Well, how is our witch? Subdued? Will we talk?
She spat in his face with hatred. Despite the inhuman suffering, she still found the strength to resist.
- Ah, y-t-you. D-stuff! - from the anger that gripped the inquisitor, he began to stutter and become covered with scarlet spots.
- All the most terrible torture. All! To she is not something to spit. To not be able to breathe! - The playful mood of the tyrants vanished. And the preliminary torture took on a more violent character. To cause torment as retribution.
The executioner removed red-hot tongs from the fire and squeezed her fingers to the base of her nails so that the flattened fingers caused the most acute pain. Anna burst into a wild cry. A flock of startled pigeons flew up from the prison roof.
The executioner took her off the hook. She hoped it was over. But she was gravely mistaken. Now she was awaiting water torture. She was tied to a chair. Rags twisted into a knot were forcefully inserted into her throat and the executioner's assistant began to pour water down her throat to cause suffocation. Then he sharply pulled out a rag so that the insides were torn.
The judges watched the torture, and the clerk wrote everything down.
But in the end, the executioner, who was not new to the effectiveness of various types of torture, applied a reliable, effective method.
He sat her on a chair, into which nails were driven and knives were stuck with their sharp ends up. All of a sudden, this butcher hit this chair so hard that it was punctured and bruised.
Anna fainted. The executioner was not concerned about the responsibility for death during torture, his instructions said that witches feigned signs of death. They cannot be trusted. He had one desire - to continue the torture as soon as possible.
Manic passion inflated in his perverted brain more and more variations of torment. In his field, he was a virtuoso, an improviser and, no matter how wild it sounds, a master of his craft. Therefore, in order to continue to enjoy his “work”, he poured ice water on the face of his victim and poured vinegar into the nostrils.
The emaciated girl opened her eyelids for a moment, looked around the damp chamber with a blurred gaze, and again fell into oblivion. The craftsman repeated the "treatment". He grabbed her by the leg and dragged her along the floor to the next instrument of torment. He placed a pair of boots on her feet, placing them close to the fire until the boots heated up to force her to confess to the increasing pain. Anna regained consciousness (as far as it was, of course, possible), but she could no longer resist and endure it. She asked for mercy.
- What am I supposed to confess? - she squeezed out with the last of her strength.
- In everything. You already know. And you will repeat at the execution that you die with repentance and renounce the demon. The endlessly repeated torture brought the interrogated woman to a state in which she was ready to confess to everything that was demanded of her. And don't retract your testimony until the very end.
The girl could not stand it and screamed - Yes, I have committed so many sinful deeds. I have no excuse. I killed people... I drank the blood of murdered children from a flask, expressed respect to the domestic spirit, let in storms, pestilence, diseases, met with an incubus.
“Here, in more detail,” the inquisitor grinned nastily, looked at the executioners conspiratorially. “All witches talk that they don’t get such pleasure with a man as they do with an incubus. Do you think so too?
- We made air trips to devilish dances, - frightened Anna was ready to say anything, just to avoid the next savage tortures.
The judge, following the example of the inquisitor, lustfully stared at the prisoner,
- Yes, the witches, in fact, talk that nothing on earth compares to him. And I think this happens for several reasons. First, it happens because demons pretend to be deeply in love with witches, which for these vicious, stupid women seems to be the most precious thing in the world. In addition, evil spirits take on an unusually attractive appearance.
- The demon and the bough selects the appropriate ones for himself, - the judge cut in.
- Yeah... And, secondly, he has... - here the executioners looked at each other and neighed disgustingly, - however, you understand...
So what did he do to you?
“He did whatever he wanted with me,” the frightened captive whispered.
“Then come here, you devilish bitch… Now you and I will also do whatever we want.” You'll find out what it's like to be with the Inquisitors.
- Better campfire!
- There will be a fire ... Later ... In the meantime, there will be what will be!
_ You are the devil! I understand! You are the devil!
“Finally, you recognized me… But not completely… Now you recognize me more,” the inquisitor snorted, fiddling with his cassock. “We'll meet again, we'll meet again,” he muttered already in half-consciousness, not even trying to wipe the viscous drool from his chin. She breathed in the stench, thick inhuman hair from the inquisitor's armpits.
Anna lost consciousness. And the last thing she saw was a black birthmark that crossed the forehead of the rapist. And he muttered something completely meaningless ...
- You remembered me... You remembered me well... The time will come - you will give birth to me... Or I will emerge from your womb...
- And you? Anna asked from the other side of life.
-And I'll burn you... For you... We'll meet again...
Now you've made your confessions. If you deny everything again - tell me about it now, while I'm around, - the executioner neighed nastily, and released her from his disgusting grasps, licking his greasy lips, - so that I hang you again. And if you recant again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or before the trial, you will again fall into my hands, and then you will know that I was only playing with you. I will torment and torture you so that even a stone will cry with pity.
***
- With the help of diabolical art, this woman fraudulently practiced, used and applied various immoral and vicious deeds called witchcraft, spells, conspiracies and sorcery. Which she admitted at the preliminary investigation.
- In exchange for recognition, I was promised pardon, and death, if I deny witchcraft! I've never been to a sabbath! I am not a witch! Not a witch! Have pity on me! - from prolonged torture and humiliation, Anna's legs buckled, and she collapsed to the floor like a stone.
- Not a single person has yet been brought before the court, who, having the stigma of the devil, would lead an impeccable lifestyle. The stigma is the highest proof of guilt! Not a single one of those convicted of witchcraft was without a brand. And he marked this witch with a special sign - the judge, like a predatory beast, abruptly rushed to the girl and, lifting her skirts, began to poke a hooked finger on a birthmark under her knee,
- In order to bind stronger bonds for more blasphemy and betrayal, he put his seal on her body, as a sign that she belongs to him.
- He marked it with the sign of a bat. Your servant! Do you see? - Bat! Burn! Burn this fiend!
The judge delivered his angry speech and, exhausted, flopped into the judge's chair. At first, a dissatisfied roar went through the hall, awakened by separate cries of agreement with the court. But pretty soon the restrained murmur turned into an angry roar of the crowd.
- Burn it! Burn the witch bitch!
The indignation of the dirty crowd did not subside. On the contrary, it intensified, turning into a roar of hungry animals that felt the blood of exhausted prey. At any moment, this pack was ready to rush at the girl and tear her to pieces. Not satiated with it, they could tear each other with the same self-forgetfulness and for some time satisfy the endless thirst for sacrificial blood.
Ugly, shaggy women twisted their shapeless mouths and made terrible grimaces, spat and poked their fingers in her direction.
- She gave our men a witch's potion! - some squealed.
- She seduced our sons with love spells - others supported them.
- Witch! Dirty fucking whore! To the fire! To the fire!
The ugly men waved their fists, shook the air, and also longed for execution.
- Into the fire! Into the fire of this proud harlot!
They could not forgive her for rejecting their obscene advances.
Only one person in this room remained silent. He was silent and could not raise his eyes to her. And he could neither accuse nor defend. Was there indifference in this, thanks to which all crimes are committed? Ordinary cowardice? Or he couldn't forgive her either. Forgive her for loving him. And what he loved (as far as he, of course, could love). And the fact that he was afraid of her all-destroying love.
But, be that as it may, he was silent ...
But everyone who came to this hall of shame had something to hate her and demand death for. People do not forgive if a person has at least one wonderful property that they do not have, but would like to. It can be beauty, health, youth, wealth, or an exceptional mind and soul. Here is the real reason for the accusations.
And there may not be anything obvious, but something weightless, elusive nevertheless indicates to them - different, not like everyone else. And there is a terrible desire to lower to their level.
And if it doesn't work, destroy it.
Peck.
And pounce like a crow.
And they tear.
A person is not forgiven for a different opinion. The desire of the crowd is to trample anyone who thinks otherwise. Don't you dare rise above us, the crowd says. Do not think that you are higher, more worthy than marked. And if you are marked, then by the devil! – and the crowd rages. And rumors are accepted as evidence of guilt.
The notion of a witch as an ugly old woman on a broomstick is just part of folklore. In reality, and this is an irrefutable historical fact, the situation is different. During the three hundred years of the Inquisition, the young, the beautiful, and the daring were more often accused. This is what brought many women to the stake.
1450-1750 period of witchcraft hysteria in Europe. Around 1600 Boge described his impressions as follows: “Germany is completely occupied with the construction of fires for / witches /. Switzerland was also forced to wipe out many of its villages. A traveler in Lorraine can see thousands and thousands of pillars. To which witches were tied.
These legalized murders set back the development of civilization for several centuries. And there is no end to this. In any century.
But the main thing is that the fires of the Inquisition are still blazing. And to this day, the best of us burn in them...
And still!
Yes, they do not smoke, they do not stink of burnt human flesh, they do not carry burnt hair. They smell like luxury perfumes. People on the crosses - with charming smiles and seem to be well dressed ...
But they are at the stake!
They burn and the same crowd is seized with the same hatred!
They burn out. And they know it.
And we know it.
Human envy and hatred is the true cause of all wars, misfortunes and innumerable bonfires of the Inquisition that cannot be extinguished for thousands of years. Poverty stifles decency, the human mind is reduced to complicity in meanness, and base passions are covered with piety. And there is no greater pleasure for them than to find flaws in their neighbors.
Great in spirit, in deeds, in being. History has many examples of the transformation of a human being into the worst animal in existence.
Unfortunately…
________
On the day appointed for the trial, Anna was brought in on a cart, with chains all over her body. His hands were tied so tightly that blood oozed from them. Around her were jailers and executioners, behind her were armed guards.
Various people gathered in the judges' room waiting for entertainment. But in one they were the same - Everything that was supposed to happen here was just innocent fun for them.
Finally, the judge came out with assistants. Importantly sat down in the judge's chair. At his sign, a prisoner was brought in. She was no longer the blooming cheerful girl that she was before prison. A pale, emaciated creature with a dull, indifferent look entered the hall. The crowd began to whistle furiously and swear, but at a sign from the chief assessor fell silent.
The judge undertook to read the indictment in the case of witchcraft and sorcery.
- Common law establishes that a witch cannot be condemned to death except on the basis of her own confession. Therefore, the court is obliged to clarify with the prisoner. Does she confirm what she confessed to during interrogations and signed with her own hand?
The guard pushed Anna in the back with his sword. “Don't sleep,” he growled roughly.
-Yes. I agree with everything,” she replied to the hall. And added mentally, - Now with everything.
- So, we can continue, - not even trying to hide his joy, rubbing his hands, as the judge said after a job well done,
- So ... - Based on the testimony of informants and the confessions of the accused herself, the court proved her guilt in causing damage and damaging people in seven ways:
By suggestion of love, suggestion of hatred, inducing impotence, inducing disease, deprivation of life, deprivation of reason, damage to property and animals. All of these actions are a manifestation of evil, since they were committed contrary to the teachings of the church and our Lord and imply the service of Satan. Guilt in atrocities has been proven by causing storms, storms, bad weather on the sea and land, killing livestock and causing anxiety to men, women and children, the death of crops, poisoning the air, causing strange passions and bodily torments in people and other creatures.
Such crimes correspond to crimes against the Lord, and according to the theory adopted by the church, a detailed Covenant with the Devil. The jurors in the name of the reigning king and queen for committing these ungodly acts, called witchcraft and sorcery, decided that you should be sentenced to be burned at the stake of the Great Inquisition!
The judge raised his hand for silence.
- Is there anyone among you who disagrees with the verdict? Is there a person who can say a kind word about the convict?
The angry roar of the crowd was his answer.
Only one person did not shout or curse her at that moment - Eugene. He was just silent. Without lifting your eyes, without raising your head. He never dared to raise his hand and utter a single word.
Having finished reading the sentence, the judge broke his rod and ordered the executioner to carry out his orders.
The jubilant crowd, as was customary, overturned the tables and chairs in the judges' room. And a procession, led by a group of men with an executioner, dragged Anna to the place of execution, then the priests followed, accompanied by women. On the way to the square, the procession sang the psalms “May the Heavenly Father be with us” and prayed. And their evil wolf cubs got a vacation to witness the death of a witch and throw stones at her.
Church bells rang like they were wrapped in damp cloth. And only in this ringing sounded unearthly sadness.
_______
The bonfire was built from raw wood so that the torture would last as long as possible and prolong the torment. As Anna was led to the platform, the choir accompanied her with the hymn "Now we pray to the Holy Spirit."
. The verdict, which she had been forced to agree to for the last time, was read again so that she would not be taken back to prison to continue the torture. One of the priests delivered a sermon as cold as his colorless eyes. After all these procedures necessary for a humane court, the victim was officially and legally transferred into the hands of her last executioner.
Anna was tied to a pillory. The fire did not flare up for a long time. Volunteers threw dry brushwood, and the fire instantly flared up. Now she could not be afraid of the threats of the executioners. They won't get it here. And she had nothing to lose. Everything she had, believed in and hoped for, she lost. And so, without regret, she surrendered herself to the sizzling fire. engulfed in flames spoke,
“Let all who see me today know that I must now die as a witch on the basis of my own confession. And I forgive everyone guilty in my blood, I take everything upon myself. Let my blood spill on my head. And since I now have to stand before the Lord, I declare that I am free from witchcraft, like a child. But, on the accusation of vicious people, I was placed in prison under the name of a witch. Everything I've confessed to is a lie.
I never thought that with the help of torture a person can be brought to the point that he would tell tall tales like the ones I told you. By subjecting me to these unbearable torments, you forced me to give false testimony under oath.
I'm not a witch, and I've never seen a devil! Everyone renounced me, and not finding any other way to break out of prison or ever restore my good name, at the instigation of the devil, I made this confession with the intention of ending my life, tired of it. I would rather die than live.
The fire grew stronger and brighter. Anna's prayer was heard through the crackling of the burning logs, interrupted by her tears. She read "Our Father", and high flames wrapped around her camp and swallowed deeper and deeper into their insatiable mouths. And finally swallowed up.
And the people, as usual, thirsted for bread and circuses. He received both in full. The witch burned to a handful of ashes. And the bread... Each participant in the process received a few coins from the confiscated property of the victim.
And these cold pieces of iron did not burn anyone's hands ...
Got a few coppers and Eugene..
_______
- Vera, go to the second ward as soon as possible. You have some kind of seizure girl there!
- What else happened there? - Vera asked her colleague displeasedly, chewing her sandwich.
-Complete nonsense! I have never seen such touched people. She hides in a corner, does not approach the child, refuses to feed, screams that he is an executioner. And in general, it carries such nonsense that I have never heard of it.
You are stupid and your jokes are stupid.
- Yes, you are! Get to her already. And then, the hour is not even, he will lay hands on himself. You will still answer for a psycho. In the meantime, I'll call the psychiatric hospital.
You be careful there! You never know what ... - she called after her.
Faith did not stay in the ward - it flew out like an arrow.
- Irka! It is something! I got scared myself. The baby would be taken away. Maybe you can go there. I this, this... I'm afraid of the insane. What to do with them? And if it didn't do any harm to the baby.
- I won't go there either. Move the phone to me.
-Ale-e. Psychiatric? It's the hospital that worries you...
- Are you kidding? - answered at the other end of the wire.
- Yes, what jokes! Leave urgently. Our mother in labor has lost her mind.
- Came to you like this?
-Well no. She acted like she was normal. And now my mind has gone. How she gave birth
and ... that. Wow, that means. Yes, you should leave soon. Grab the nurses stronger, the patient can be violent. Everything, we are waiting.
- Well, Irka, you give her a stronger nurse. Dead.
- I don't see anything funny. I didn't call for myself. I don't need it yet. A bit later.
- Are you sure?
- Come on, you stupid woman. Did you close the door?
- Not…
- Go close, away from sin. Well her.
Vera took a weighty bunch of keys and went to close the unusual patient. As if through a minefield, she went this short way - from the table of the nurse on duty to the ward. Closed. She sighed in relief and returned with a sense of accomplishment.
- All closed. You know, Ir. As soon as I got there, I was thrown into a fever. Terribly there... Next to her. Maybe it's really dirty...
- Come on. Learned person. I took the Hippocratic Oath...
- Not Hippocrates, but Hippocrates. Ignoramus. I didn’t swear anything to Hippocrates, I didn’t promise anything.
- Even big and clean?
- Irka, you should have worked in a circus, not in a maternity hospital.
- What's the difference? I don't see much difference. Take even today. Well, why not a circus?
More nurses are coming. If such as I ordered by phone, then I will change the job. Definitely!
-And here they are.
- Well, freaks. I'm staying here. Just gorillas. Dream - do not wave away.
-And if they fall asleep next to each other ... Two from the casket.
- Pip on your tongue.
- What's wrong with you girls? croaked one of the approaching gorillas in a bass voice.
Vera handed them the keys, - Go see for yourself.
______
Have you seen our new patient? - a young sister called Mila from a neighboring box.
- Yes, the head physician says - an exceptional case. And the brain is a dark matter and is not subject to research.
- Such an interesting girl. They say she was fine. What can happen in such a short time?
- I was talking to a friend of hers. She came to visit our prisoner.
-Yes? So what?
- She says the man took her on a spree. Bastard. His wife is pregnant, and it is for women. I hate them all. The bottoms are cheap.
- How did she know?
- Who is she? Friend?
- No, Anna.
- He came to the maternity hospital, allegedly to congratulate on the birth of his son. He handed over banal flowers, fruits and left. With another.
- Were they hugging, kissing?
- Not. They just walked along.
- So maybe this is a friend, what is it?
Anna didn't think so. Here's the roof off. It's you who are still inexperienced and gullible.
- Maybe it's better. But with the head everything will be all right. Why didn't she talk to him?
- He does not want to believe, although he tried to justify himself. But the girl does not believe and that's it. When you truly love, betrayal can neither be forgotten, nor forgiven, nor justified.
- What about people? So they celebrate weddings with diamonds and tell that everything in life was - both good and bad and very bad ...
- It's not love. Yes, life. Common houses, children and the like. They endure, get used to and pull the strap. It's not clear, though, why?
And real life flashes by like flower meadows behind dusty glass
fast train.
- Yes, it's sad... I hope this doesn't happen to me.
- Hope, baby. Hope. Hope, you know, is the last to bend. Although... For some, Love dies last. And these sad-looking knights become guests of our clinic. We are losing the best people!
_______
In the morning, Evgeny was awakened by a phone call. They called from the clinic.
- Are you ready to pick up your wife today?
-Yes of course.
But first we need to talk. Can you come by eleven?
- Yes, as you say.
- Waiting for you. See you soon.
The head physician noticed Yevgeny from the windows of the clinic. Once again, he wondered how such a beauty fell for this nondescript and worthless little man. He does not hold his gaze, his little eyes run. No inner strength. Will sell for a penny. What could attract her to him?
Maybe there really is some kind of karmic connection between people. Unpaid debts from past lives overtake us in the next. And maybe much of what is found within these walls is not a painful deviation of the psyche, but reality. Another reality. Perhaps there is a parallel linking events, centuries, universes, after all.
-Yes, - once again said the doctor, the luminary of medicine in psychiatry,
-The human brain is a dark matter and is not subject to research. And all our "candidate" - up to one place.
He went out to meet Yevgeny in the corridor so as not to delay communication with him, as if he were sitting on leather sofas in his office.
Your wife has postpartum depression, with all the consequences ... Manic-depressive psychosis and a host of other little-studied mental disorders. And, as I know, not without your participation, - the doctor looked reproachfully at Anna's husband.
This often happens with especially impressionable natures. The condition has now stabilized, but relapses are not ruled out. I recommend not to evoke strong emotions of any kind in her, no matter negative or positive. Any feelings are dangerous in the borderline state of the psyche. I ask you to keep her from emotional shocks, it will do good. And, more... The doctor took Evgeny by the elbow and took him aside.
Switching to a whisper, he added, “I want to warn you that Anna has a painful impressionability. If you really love your wife, and don't want it to end in chronic schizophrenia, don't do it again.
This is a tragedy for any woman, but especially for yours. She perceived the betrayal as the fires of the Inquisition. Everyone feels it differently.
Who is more, who is less. Some won't notice at all. She was on fire. For her, it was a harsh reality.
Of course, in some moments I can understand you as a man. But not in all.
Far from all…
In her position, you were obliged not to take such rash steps. At least it's mean. I think we understand each other?
Yevgeny, ashamed, lowering his eyes, tried to smile, but an absurd, flawed grimace came out.
-Oh sure. I will follow all your recommendations.
-Then all the best. Goodbye.
The doctor did not even shake Yevgeny's outstretched hand, and with a sweeping gait went off into the distance along the corridor.
The nurses took Anna out the door of the clinic, and when they saw that they were waiting for her, they hastily said goodbye and left. She paused on the steps of her last residence and looked at Yevgeny. There was no interest in her eyes, there was pain in her eyes. She desperately wanted to remember something. Some terrible pictures of memories were, it seemed, very close ... But no, and this time they did not make their way into consciousness. Maybe a little later. The visions disappeared, and she again saw Eugene with downcast eyes.
But he couldn't see it.
Eugene stood with his eyes downcast. And he could not lift them, could not look at her with a pure, true look. He…
Yes Yes Yes. Of course.
He stood silent...
He has been silent for five hundred years.
If the Soviet court is the most humane in the world, then the Holy Inquisition is its complete opposite. Bonfires of justice, sophisticated torture, crippled destinies and thousands of innocent victims - this is it, harsh medieval romance. It is generally accepted that the ardent Spaniards distinguished themselves with special consistency in matters of execution in the name of the Lord (apparently, the hot climate affected), rightfully occupying first place in the unspoken hit parade of cruelty. Therefore, it is with the story of their atrocities that the editors of HistoryTime open a series of materials about the Inquisition in different countries.
What do you need? Torquemada!
Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote that "the party and Lenin are twin brothers." The same can be said about Thomas de Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition. We say "Torquemada" - we mean "Inquisition", we say "Inquisition" - we mean "Torquemada". Why did the name of this man become synonymous with murder and cruelty? The fact is that it was precisely because of his activities at the end of the 15th century that the gradually decrepit and fading Spanish Inquisition was reborn. In 1483, Torquemada, the confessor of the ruler Isabella of Castile, was appointed Grand Inquisitor of the kingdom and received almost unlimited power. The previously modest, merciful young man (this is how his contemporaries spoke of him) turned into one of the most gloomy, infernal persons in the history of mankind. According to archival data, during the time Torquemada was in the main inquisitorial position - and this lasted more than fifteen years - about twenty thousand people were burned, and another hundred thousand were deprived of property, rights and privileges.
The moor has done his job, the moor can go
Moors and Jews were especially persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition, as well as marranos(baptized Jews) and moriscos(Muslims who converted to Christianity). After the capture of Granada by the Spanish army in 1491, the last stronghold of Islam on the Iberian Peninsula was destroyed, and six months later, Isabella of Castile signed a decree on the unconditional expulsion of Jews, including those converted to Catholicism, from all territories subject to her. According to various estimates, from 200 to 400 thousand people suffered from this decree. In general, up to three million "infidels" and "false converts" were persecuted, which significantly hit Spanish agriculture, trade and industry. By the way, many Jews tried to hide in Portugal, but not for long: 30 years later, the neighboring country decided to take advantage of the experience of their Spanish colleagues, and the story of expulsion and persecution repeated itself.
Many Jews tried to cheat and embarked on the path of Marrano: formally they accepted Christianity, but in reality they did not stop practicing their former religion at all. Especially to track down such defectors, the Inquisition organized a kind of round-up, during which they checked whether the former Jews kept the Torah in the house, whether they refused to work on Saturdays. If it was possible to identify such violations, then there was no longer any talk of expulsion: now only the fire awaited the false converts.
Who said "meow"?
Instrument of torture "cat's paw" Of course, in Spain, as in the advanced country of the European Inquisition, national instruments of torture were invented. One of them is a rather nondescript device with a touching name. "cat's paw"(or "Spanish tickled"). With this soft foot, resembling a massive cast-iron rake, the criminal was skinned with ribbons, and then his body was torn to shreds.
Another sophisticated instrument of torture - "Spanish boot". It was a metal fastening that was put on the heretic's lower leg and tightened more and more until it crushed the bones. Also, to enhance the effect, the executioner sometimes hit the mount with a hammer. After such a procedure, there was usually not the slightest chance that the bones would grow back together. A variation of the "Spanish boot" was "iron shoe". The difference between the tools was that the "shoe" was fixed on the foot of the criminal, and not on the lower leg. Also in this device were special screws that greatly increased the already insane pain of the heretic.
Mistake came out
One of the most famous inquisitorial trials in Spain was associated with the name of Lucrezia de Leon, a young girl from a noble Madrid family. This story took place a century after the atrocities of Torquemada. The girl, being a clairvoyant known in her area, predicted that soon the Invincible Armada would be defeated, and the best commanders would die during the battle. Lucretia also predicted the imminent death of King Philip II of Spain: the girl said that she had a vision in which the monarch was killed at the walls of Toledo. However, the predictions of the unfortunate seer were not destined to come true. Then the Holy Inquisition arrested Lucretia. There was even no fire: the clairvoyant was whipped and ordered to work in a hospital for children from poor families for two years.
The bonfires of the legendary Spanish Inquisition, which held in fear all the subjects of the state, burned not only in the Middle Ages, but also many centuries later. This gloomy structure was abolished only in 1834 during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
