History’s Most Famous Psychopaths: Tomás de Torquemada
Source: Latin American Studies
Tomás de Torquemada was the Grand Inquisitor of Spain and a central architect and perpatrator of the Spanish Inquisition starting in 1478.
The Inquisition’s tribunal was created by the Spanish monarchy to weed out anyone that they believed to pose a threat to the Roman Catholic Church in Spain. The Inquisition led to the death, torture, and rape of thousands – usually without evidence.
Torquemada would order Jews and others perceived to be an anti-Catholic threat to be tortured or killed, inventing several specific torture techniques just for them. People were tortured by means of burning, suffocation, and starvation.
The death of de Torquemada Source: Imagen Política
Specific torture schemes included the garrucha (pulling a prisoner’s arms and legs from their sockets), the toca (water was forced down the victim’s throat) and porto (tight cords tied around the victim to stop blood from flowing).
Tomás de Torquemada is believed to have presided over the killings of thousands of people, and to have helped cause the exile of 200,000 to 300,000 Jews or Muslims who did not embrace Catholicism from Spain. After all of his atrocities, Torquemada died of old age in 1498.
Be sure to watch this video on de Torquemada from Discovery:
