This thesis examines the subject of torture. It focuses on the early modern period, but also devotes some attention to antiquity and the Middle Ages. The historical overview concludes with the period during which Enlightenment ideas contributed to the gradual abolition of torture. The thesis first describes the general characteristics of torture, and then specifically presents torture in antiquity, the Middle Ages, early modern law, the Spanish Inquisition, and the witch trials. It also briefly outlines various methods of torture and describes its executors—the executioners. Finally, it concludes with the public's attitude toward this cruel practice and the various reasons that led to its decline.
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