1000-1500 Medieval England - The Influence Of The Church Flashcards
What were the church like during this period
Extremely powerful and layer a direct role in deciding what constituted a crime and how the accused was tried + what punishments were handed out
What as there with the role of the church in the early 13th century
Continuity and change
What crimes did the church courts try people for throughout the 13th century
They tried people accused for -
Moral crimes eg = sex outside marriage and not following church rites
What did the church try members of the clergy for + what was this known as
They tried clergy members for all crimes - nown as benefit of the clergy
How did people prove their right to benefit of clergy
By reading a passage from the bible - priests were some of the few members who could read
What did many laymen do and why
- Memorise the passage so they could recite it in court and claim benefit of clergy
- because punishmentsgiven by church courts were generally more lenient than other court punishments - as the church wanted to give people the chance to reform
What the significance of the benefit of clergy
It illustrates how the justice system in medieval society wasnt equal - it provided a way for people to be treated differently
Who couldn’t have the benefit of clergy and why
Women because they couldn’t be priests
What was sanctuary
Protection from the laws
Sanctuary features
- it was offered by some important churches only
- a person could claim sanctuary by going to one of these churches
- the priest would report the crime but no ome could arrest the accused
- the accused could wither agree to go to court or swear and oath of agreeing to leave the country
- if the accused hadn’t left the country within 40 days they’d be outlawed
Significance of sanctuary AND benefit of clergy
They showed how members of the church operated an alternative justice system outside the control of other authorities
When was trial by ordeal first used
In Anglo-Saxon times
Did trial by ordeal carry on
Yes it was still used at the start of the 13th century
When was trial by ordeal used
When a persons guilt/innocence couldn’t be decided by a court
Who used trial by ordeal
The church
What was the outcome of trial by ordeal seen as
Gods judgement on the guilt/innocence of the accused
What happend to trial by ordeal in 1215
The pope ordered his priests to stop administrating these trials and so it quickly ended
What were the different trials
1) trial by hot water/iron - of the burn healed well the person was innocent
2) trial by water - if the person sank they were innocent
3) trial by consecrated bread - only for priests, if the choked they were guilty
