Strappado

This article is about the torture technique. For the BDSM play, see Strappado bondage. For other uses, see Strappado (disambiguation).
"Estrapade" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Estrapade (horse).

The Strappado, used as public punishment, detail of plate 10 of Les Grandes Misères de la guerre by Jacques Callot, 1633

The strappado, also known as corda,[1] is a form of torture in which the victim's hands are tied behind their back and the victim is suspended by a rope attached to the wrists, typically resulting in dislocated shoulders.[2][3] Weights may be added to the body to intensify the effect and increase the pain.[4] This kind of torture would generally not last more than an hour without rest,[5] as it would otherwise likely result in death.[6]

Other names for strappado include "reverse hanging", "Palestinian hanging"[7][8][9] and il tormento della corda.[10] It was employed by the medieval Inquisition and many governments,[11] such as the civil law court (1543–1798) of the Order of St. John at the Castellania in Valletta, Malta.[12][13]

The proper application of the strappado technique causes permanent but not visible damage. The levels of pain and resistance vary by victim depending on the victim's weight and any additional weights added to the body.[14] It is not, as Samuel Johnson erroneously entered in A Dictionary of the English Language, a "chastisement by blows."[15]

  1. ^ Smollett, Tobias (1900). The works of Tobias Smollett, Volume 11. Constable. p. 216. OCLC 646851669. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. ^ Cassar, Paul (1988). The Castellania Palace: From Law Courts to Guardian of the Nation's Health. Malta: Department of Information. pp. 31–32.
  3. ^ Boffa, Christa (8 July 2016). "Palazz Castellania". Illum (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 30 July 2016.
  4. ^ Borg-Muscat, David (2001). "Prison life in Malta in the 18th century – Valletta's Gran Prigione" (PDF). Storja: 48–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2016.
  5. ^ Eton, William (1802). Authentic materials for a history of the principality of Malta. Oxford University. p. 170 (70).
  6. ^ Pollanen, Michael S. (March 2018). "The pathology of torture". Forensic Science International. 284: 85–96. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.12.022. PMID 29367172.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference smh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Goldhaber, Michael (2007). A People's History of the European Court of Human Rights. Rutgers University Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-8135-3983-6. Mysteriously, this method is commonly called 'Palestinian hanging' today, although torture monitors say it is used by neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority.
  9. ^ Rejali, Darius (2007). Torture and Democracy. Princeton University Press. pp. 355. ISBN 978-0-691-11422-4.
  10. ^ The Inquisitor's Palace in Birgu (Vittoriosa).
  11. ^ Inquisition from Its Establishment to the Great Schism: An Introductory Study Authors A. L. Maycock, Ronald Knox Publisher Kessinger Publishing, 2003 ISBN 0-7661-7290-2,ISBN 978-0-7661-7290-6 p. 162
  12. ^ "The Castellania". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016.
  13. ^ Cassar-Pullicino, Joseph (1992). Studies in Maltese Folklore. Malta University Press. p. 50.
  14. ^ Torture and Democracy. p. 295-296.
  15. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary. Jack Lynch (Ed.) Levenger Press. Delray Beach, FL. 2004. Pages 10 and 482.