c1000 - c1500: crime and punishment in medieval england Flashcards
Give 2 examples of a crime against the person.
Murder, assault, public disorder, rape.
Give 2 examples of a crime against property.
Arson, theft, poaching, counterfeiting coins.
Give 2 examples of a crime against authority.
Treason and rebellion.
During the Anglo-Saxon period, what 2 attributes did those who were involved in law making hold?
Power and wealth.
Were crimes against authority seen as not serious or serious?
(Extremely) serious.
Was it compulsory for laws in Anglo-Saxon times to be written down and why?
No - they were still based on local custom.
What effect did the growing power of the monarch have on the country’s laws?
Laws became more unified across the country.
What year was the Norman Conquest?
1066
When did Henry II became king and what was significant in terms of law after he became monarch?
He became king in 1154; standard laws were written down, meaning that, for the first time, there was a uniform legal system across the whole country.
Give an example of a ‘social’ crime.
Poaching.
Why was poaching seen as a ‘social’ crime?
It was considered to be acceptable to many people - catching animals for food on common land was allowed and helped people survive.
In Medieval England, what was poaching defined as?
Hunting wild animals on other people’s land without paying hunting rights.
What law stimulated the increase of poaching?
The Forest Laws.
How did the Forest Laws cause an increase in poaching?
Peasants used what has previously been common land to catch animals for food.
What did reducing the amount of common land mean for many people?
They were forced to choose between breaking the law and going hungry.
Other than the monarch, what was the other huge authority in defining criminal activity across the medieval period?
The Church.
How did King William I establish royal authority over his new kingdom?
He added new crimes to the existing Anglo-Saxon ones (e.g rebellion and those covered by the Forest Laws and the Murdrum fine)
Under the Forest Laws, how much of England became ‘Royal Forest’?
30%
What was the ‘Royal Forest’ used for and who by?
William I and the nobility used it for hunting.
Give 2 reasons why ordinary people hated the Forest Laws.
- Many had been evicted from their homes or farms to make way for the Royal Forests.
- Activities that had previously been allowed, such as killing rabbits and collecting firewood, were now illegal. This irritated ordinary people and made the everyday struggle for survival harder.
- Punishments for breaking the Forest Laws were extremely harsh.
- The foresters who enforced the Forest Laws were often violent.
What did the Forest Laws make it illegal to do in the Royal Forests?
Graze animals, kill wild animals or take wood without a licence.
Give 1 place in England where there was a rebellion by the Anglo-Saxons following the Norman invasion.
York/East Anglia.
Give an example of a crime which William I punished more harshly than in Anglo-Saxon times.
Betraying your lord or inciting rebellion against a king.
What was the Murdrum fine?
The fine payable to the king by the hundred where a killing occurred, unless the killer was produced or the victim proved to be a Saxon.
What was the Murdrum fine used to help establish?
Control over the conquered population
How did the Murdrum fine allow the ruling class to make laws to benefit themselves?
It make murdering a Norman a more serious crime than murdering an Anglo-Saxon.
Who was largely responsible for preventing crime and catching criminals in Anglo-Saxon England and why (what did they not have)?
The community - they didn’t have an official “police force”.
What was the crime rate like in Anglo-Saxon England?
Very low.
Where did most people live in Anglo-Saxon England?
In small hamlets or on farms, or small villages known as ‘burhs’.
Why did tight-knit communities have an impact on crime rates in Anglo-Saxon England.
Everyone knew everyone else and felt a sense of duty towards their community and so crime rates were low and law enforcement was effective.
What was a shire?
The Anglo-Saxon version of a county.
How mang tithings were in each hundred?
Ten.
What was a tithing?
A group of ten people.
What was the purpose of tithings?
To prevent crime within communities?
What would happen if someone in a tithing committed a crime?
The others made sure they went to court or else they would have to pay a fine for them.
Who was a shire reeve?
A local man appointed by the community to take criminals to court and make sure all punishments were carried out.
Who did the shire reeve meet regularly with?
One man from each tithing.
What was the hue and cry?
A shout raised by the witness or victim of a crime to alert others.
