#13 "The Inquisition, Medieval Torture, London's Dungeons"

The Mark of the Inquisition
The Inquisition was renowned for its crackdown on heretics and religious dissenters, yet many of its casualties were Catholics. It knew no age, gender, or social barriers, and victimized members of the Roman clergy just as easily as it did English pirates on the Spanish Main. Peasants and nobles, saints and scoundrels, old and youngno one escaped its scrutiny.

From Conquest to Expulsion: The Jews of Medieval England
Over a period of many centuries, Jews were predominantly the bankers and repo men of western Europe and, as was common to say, were like sponges that the king would immerse in the wealth of his subjects and then wring out into his own coffers.

Medieval Torture
Despite its lethal implication, torture was more a means of coercion than a fatal end. Through the years, its rituals evolved into a gruesome art, perfecting the skill required to stretch a person's endurance to the breaking point, yet stopping short of a fatal blow that might deprive the authorities of vital information.

London's Prison Museums
Dungeons and executions and instruments of torture abound in England's capital city of London. Its four prison museumsthe Tower of London, the Clink, London Dungeon, and the House of Detentiontrace the history and horror of ancient imprisonment.