Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
torture
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
mandatory bath punishment punishment of prisoner criminals in a pillory inmates on a penal treadmill restraining irons iron maiden cat-o'-nine-tails Spanish Inquisition
For Students
torture summary
Related Questions
Read Next
Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)
Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture
Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos)
Behind the Scenes: 9 Historical Inspirations for Game of Thrones
Discover
Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant
7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants
Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays
Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's Independence Day?
US Marines firing at Fallujah, Iraq, during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq War.
Timeline of the 2000s
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere
Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?
Shadow of a man holding large knife in his hand inside of some dark, spooky buiding
7 of History's Most Notorious Serial Killers
Drinking water is poured into a glass.
Water Fluoridation: Just the Facts

torture: Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/torture
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

mandatory bath punishment
punishment of prisoner
criminals in a pillory
inmates on a penal treadmill
restraining irons
iron maiden
cat-o'-nine-tails
Spanish Inquisition
See All Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Key People

Klaus Barbie
Nazi leader
Elizabeth Báthory
Elizabeth Báthory
Hungarian countess
Prospero Farinacci
Italian jurist

Related Quizzes and Features

List
Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos)
Behind the Scenes: 9 Historical Inspirations for Game of Thrones