Exam 1 Flashcards
(35 cards)
Hammurabi Code
(c.1750): an ancient Mesopotamian (Babylonian) law code which constitutes one of the first written law codes in recorded history, and which favoured strict justice and retribution (an eye for an eye), especially for women and the poor.
10 Commandments
an Ancient Hebrew series of ethical and moral laws which form the basis of legal systems throughout much of the world.
Draco
a 7th century B.C. Athenian legislator most famous for his harsh law code, which attempted to suppress crime by imposing capital punishment for almost every offense, such as theft (steal an apple).
- Very severe, “Draconian” term > strict punishment
Solon
a late 6th century B.C. Ancient Greek legislator and reformer who reduced capital punishment for only the crimes of treason and murder, and who started the first jury courts in Athens, which led to a more democratic system of justice.
stoning
a form of communal punishment in which the whole community participated rather than a single individual.
Falling
An Ancient Greek form of capital punishment which consisted of throwing individuals from great heights to their deaths.
Poison
(ex: hemlock): a more humane form of execution made famous by the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.
Augustus
the first Roman Emperor (27 B.C- 14 A.D), whose many accomplishments included the creation of the first police system.
The Twelve Tables
a publicly displayed set of Ancient Roman laws (450 B.C) which dealt mainly with private disputes, and established the principle of equality before the law for patricians and plebeians.
Parricide
a serious capital crime in which children killed their parent (s), and punishable in the Roman Empire by bounding the accused in a leather sack with a dog, snake, and rooster, which was then thrown into the river.
Crucifixion
a common form of Roman execution often used for lowly criminals consisting of nailing the accused to a T or X-shaped cross, from which the victim eventually died from suffocation and hunger.
Shire reeve
an early Medieval English lawman responsible for maintaining peace, enforcing laws, and collecting taxes, and the forerunner of the modern-day sheriff.
ordeal
a medieval method of determining guilt or innocence for crimes such as murder used across Europe from 800-1215, which involved subjugating the accused to a painful task.
ordeal by fire
a Medieval ordeal which required the accused to walk over hot coals or place an arm in boiling water, and if the wounds did not heal after 3 days, the victim was judged guilty and condemned.
ordeal by water
a Medieval ordeal commonly used for the lower class in which the accused was immersed into a body of water, and found guilty if she/he floated, and deemed innocent if she/he sank to the bottom (as water was considered divine), but most likely drowned.
ordel by battle
a Medieval ordeal or trail by combat which required the accused to fight (wealthy individuals could hire mercenaries), with the assumption that the innocent party would emerge the winner.
Henry II
powerful Medieval English King (1154-1189) whose reign was marked by the increased power of the crown and the expansion of English common law through his introduction of travelling judges.
Lateran Council
(1215)- priests were not allowed anymore to participate in ordeals.
Magna Carta
(1215): a decisive step in the development of constitutional government in Medieval England, as it placed the King under the law by forcing him to consult the barons before raising taxes.
Hanging
most common because it requires only a rope and it is public
Dismemberment
a Medieval form of capital punishment in which the accused died of complications resulting from the forced tearing or removing limbs.
Heresy
Roman Catholic Churh, the holding of religious doctrines different from the official teachings of the Church, and thereby a serious crime, punishable by death, usually by burning at the stake.
Malleus Maleficarum
a late 15th c. highly influential guidebook written by the German Dominican monks Kramer and Sprenger, and supported by the Papacy about how to identify, prosecute, and punish witches, and which singled out women as the primary source of witchcraft.
Breaking Wheel
a Medieval form of capital punishment in which the transgressor, after torture, was hoisted on top of a large wooden wagon wheel, and was eventually devoured by birds.
