Crime, punishment and law enforcement in the middle ages Flashcards
What was the impact of Henry the second on Law enforcement?
- He was crowned 1154.
- 1166 reorganized courts, set up prisons for those waiting for trial.
- Royal judges, known as Justices of Peace, visited each county twice a year to hear criminal cases. This increased the king’s role in legal matters.
- There was a stronger more centralized control over the court system.
What were the changes in crime and law enforcement in the later middle ages?
- Growth in towns, which meant there was more opportunity for crime. London now had over 30,000 people.
- Shift away from local communities dealing with crime and instead having government-appointed officials.
- The “tithing men” were changed to “Constables”.
What were the continuities in crime and law enforcement in the later middle ages?
- Anglos Saxon practices were used at a local level for less serious crimes.
- Manor courts, an Anglo Saxon system, was still used to deal with disputes between lords and locals.
When was the Black Death and how much of the population died?
1348, 1/3 of the population died of the plague.
What was the statute of Labourers?
It was a maximum wave introduced for workers and it made it illegal to ask for any more. It also made it illegal to move to a new area to look for better-paid work.
When was the statute of laborers passed in parliament?
1351
Why did the Statute of Labourers get put in place?
After many people died in the plague there were far fewer workers so peasants could demand higher wages for their work. The ruling class worried about paying their workers more so passed a law to criminalize it.
How was the Statute of Labourers an example of change and continuity?
Continuity:
-Of Norman ruling class making laws to protect their own interests (forests laws).
Change:
Under Normans, laws were passed by just the king.
However in the Later Medieval period, the role of parliament was growing and new laws were passed by parliament, not just by the king.
What was Heresy?
Questioning the practices and beliefs of the Church.
When were laws against Heresy introduced?
1382 - Heresy was made a crime.
1401 - Introduced burning at the stake for Heretics, this was seen as purifying of the soul before it passed into the afterlife.
1414 - Justices of Peace had the power to arrest suspected heretics, this was an example of government officials working with the Chruch.
When were Coroners introduced and for what purpose?
1194, introduced to deal with situations with suspicious deaths (no obvious natural causes).
Introduced by King Richard the 1st.
What were keepers of the king’s peace and when were they introduced?
1195 - Knights appointed to keep peace in unruly areas, where locals struggled to obtain law and order.
Appointed by King Richard the 1st.
What were the Justices of the peace, when were they introduced?
Good and Lawful men were appointed to all areas to keep law and order in 1327.
Only in 1361 did they become known as Justices of Peace.
Appointed by Edward the 3rd.
What was the punishment for high treason in the later middle ages?
-to be “Hung, Drawn and quartered”, meant the convicted criminal would be semi strangled, then have his abdomen cut open and his intestines drawn out. After death, limbs would be severed and transported around the country.
Its purpose was to act as a terrifying deterrent.
