Early Modern Flashcards
What century was the early modern period?
1500-1700
When was the gunpowder plot and who tried to go through with it?
4th November 1605 , Guy Fawkes
Why was the number of crimes punishable by death increased?
As the population increased so did the crime
Give three problems with prison conditions in early modern period
Inmates would have to pay for food,
Younger prisoners would be abused/bullied ,
Prisons were dirty and unclean
Bridewell was the first prison opened as a punishment for criminals in 1556. What type of criminals what is it used to punish?
It was used to punish poor people who had broke the law
What happened, religious change?
Henry the eighth, change the church in 1534,
Catholics believed priest could get rid of the devil and evil spirits,
Protestants believed witches had to be found and killed by Henry the eighth,
Changed witchcraft from a moral crime to a serious crime
Why did this contribute to a witch craze, religious change?
Catholics felt protected by priests as they viewed them as having special powers,
Protestants did not believe this someone religion changed. People still believed in witches, but had no protection from them so much more scared and started to try to get rid of them
What happened, James the first
James wrote a book called the demonology about witches that encourage people to hunt and look out for them
why did this contribute to a witch craze, James the first
He told people what to look for when coming across a witch ,
which increased the witch craze because, whatever the king believes the country believes as well
What happened, Matthew Hopkins
He became a witch hunter in 1634,
He established the witch trials ,
He tortured and deprived people accused without sleep
Why did this contribute to a witch craze, Matthew Hopkins?
He contributed to 20% of trials in two years,
He called himself, the Witchfinder, general, and people say he was one of the reasons for the witch craze
What happened, superstitious beliefs
People had very little scientific knowledge and believed in magic rather than science. They believe spells could cause bad things to happen. In difficult times, they relied upon this for explanations for things that went wrong.
Why did this contribute to a witch craze, social upheaval?
They didn’t know what was going on, so they could blame things that they can’t prove or find out about on witches
What happened, attitudes towards women
90% of witchcraft accusations were against women,
Some women were accused because they were vulnerable
Which king change the religion of England in 1534
Henry V111
What change does the break from Rome make to heresy
It makes it treason to not have the same religion as the king
How was heresy punished?
As treason
What king did the gunpowder plotters plot to kill?
James 1
What punishment was given to the gunpowder plotters?
Capital punishment
What happened to the treatment of Catholics after the gunpowder plot?
It got harsher
What new laws were introduced against poaching in the early modern period
Game act
What was the key term for fencing off of land that had been common land?
Enclosure
Why does smuggling become a crime in this period?
More people were bringing goods over from America/ tea, sugar
What’s a really strong Protestants called
Puritans
What is the crime of begging and being homeless?
Vagabondage
Give two reasons, vagabondage became a serious crime
Over population,
Less jobs, so people turned to crime
Who was the first king to pass laws against witchcraft?
Henry V111
Give three reasons, witchcraft became a serious crime
Protestants had no one to protect them , James 1 book demonology,
scared people lack of science
Why were new methods of enforcement needed in towns
Population growth
What two new roles were introduced to enforce the law in early modern towns
Fief takers,
Nightwatchman ,
Town constable
What are thief takers?
Like detectives, who would take money to solve a crime and find a criminal
Where are People transported to an early modern England?
North America
How many people were transported?
50,000-80,000
What was the name of the first purpose-built prison built in this period?
Bridewell
Give to punishments that remained from the mediaeval and early modern period
Fines, capital punishment
