1000-1500 Medieval England - Crime In Medieval England Flashcards
What is a crime
An activity that breaks the law
Who makes laws
People who govern the country
Who made laws in Anglo-Saxon times
People with power and wealth
What were the crimes against a person
- Murder
- Assault
- public disorder
- rape
What did crimes against a person vary from
Fairly serious (eg = assault) to serious (eg = rape & murder)
What were the crimes against property
- arson
- theft (eg = stealing crops/poaching)
- counterfeiting coins
What did crimes against property vary from
Not serious (eg = petty theft/selling poor quality goods) to very serious (eg = theft)
What were the crimes against authority
- treason
- rebellion
What were crimes against authority seen as
Extremely serious
What were many laws in anglo-Saxon times based on
Local customs + they weren’t written down
By 1000 what were Anglo-Saxon kings doing and what did this mean
- Issuing codes of law that made certain actions crimes
- illustrating the growing power of the monarch
This meant laws were becoming more unified across the country
What became more important after 1066
The king making laws because his authority increased
What did William I add
added new laws that created crimes - illustrated how a powerful king can lead to a change
What happened in the later medieval period
The monarch continued to play a vital role in defining what a crime was
When did Henry II become king
1154
What happened after Henry II became king
Standard laws were written down - meant that for the 1st time there was a uniform legal system across the whole country
What’s poaching
- Hunting wild animals on other peoples land without paying ‘hunting rights’.
- a form of theft
When did poaching increase
Dramatic increase after the forest laws because peasants used what was previously common land to catch animals for food
What is poaching seen as
A social crime - considered to be acceptable to many people since catching animals for food on common land was allowed/helped people survive
What did reducing common land mean for people
They had to choose between breaking the law or going hungry
Who was the other huge authority in defining criminal activity across the medieval period apart from the king
The church
What did the church do
- Created laws that criminalised some actions
- influenced the types of punishments given in response
- played a direct role in deciding guilt or innocence
