A notable time during the late middle ages was when Queen Elizabeth was in power, from 1558-1603. She was a dictating, powerful, and cruel monarch. She also believed in extreme punishment for crime, in order to run a peaceful country. The death penalty could be prescribed for any offense, even some as minor theft, or highway robbery. During this time, a person of higher social standing could accuse a peasant of a crime without any evidence. Chances are the peasant would be tortured until they admit to the crime. Frequently, the accused would be tortured to death. If he or she admitted to the crime, the punishment would be death, probably by hanging. During this era, many devices were invented to dehumanize, humiliate, or simply to be uncomfortable to the victim. For a severe crime, the devices used were often just to inflict the most amount of pain possible onto the victim.

One punishment for women who gossiped or spoke too freely was called "the brank". It was a large iron framework that enclosed the woman's head. It had a metal strip that fit into the mouth that was either sharpened to a point or c

A thief or pickpocket would often have his or her right hand cut off, or some times their eyes plucked out with hot tongs. If any of a persons limbs were cut off for punishment, an amputation saw would be used. This is a kind of saw that it much more painful and jagged than a regular saw.

An unusual and humiliating punishment for public drunkenness was "the drunkards cloak". The drunk was forced to wear a barrel that had holes cut into it for hands and head for several days, while wandering through town with villagers jeering and beating on him.

overed with spikes, so that any attempt to speak would lead to severe injuries to the mouth. The woman was then led on a chain by a city official through the town, and tied to a whipping post or pillory to endure the cruel and verbally abusive public.

There were many ways of executing invented attempting to create the absolute most amount of possible pain, ranging from mild to severe. The most honorable way to be executed during this time was beheading. The lower a persons social satus, and the higher the crime, the more painful and slow their execution would be. A person could be hung until half dead, then di

Some common words found in the essay are:
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