Strappado

The strappado, also known as corda, 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. Weights may be added to the body to intensify the effect and to increase the pain. This kind of torture would generally not last more than an hour without rest, as it would likely result in death. Other names for strappado include "reverse hanging", "Palestinian hanging", and il tormento della corda (Italian: 'the torment of the rope'). It was employed by the medieval Inquisition and by many governments, such as the civil law court (1543–1798) of the Order of St. John at the Castellania in Valletta, Malta. 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 on any additional weights added to the body. It is not, as Samuel Johnson erroneously entered in A Dictionary of the English Language, a "chastisement by blows".