Medieval England Flashcards
What were crimes against the person?
Murder
Assault
Rape
What were crimes against the property?
Arson
Theft
Stealing crops
Poaching
What were crimes against the authority?
Treason
Rebellion
What was the most common punishement for anglo-saxons?
Fines
Compensation
What is Corporal Punishment?
Physically hurting the criminal
What is capital punishment?
Killing the criminal
How common was corporal punishment?
Fairly
When was capital punishment used?
Rarely
During norman’s punishments what happened to corporal ans capital punishment?
Rose
What’s an example of the harsh punishment you could get is you broke a forest law?
Hanging
Who were fines payed to during the normans?
The king
During later medieval what happened to capital punishment?
Decreased
When was corporal punishment used in the later medieval period?
If the person regularly offended
Did fines become less or more common during the later medieval period?
more
What were tithings?
10 men in each community who were responsible for crime
What was the Hue & Cry?
The victim or witness of a crime cried out and a parish constable led the community to finding the criminal
What were courts used for in law enforcement?
If the accused was not found mid crime, the court would decide whether they were guilty or innocent
What were oaths in law enforcement?
The accused swore an oath ‘before God’
Oath helpers could support the accused
What was deciding guilty or innocence?
If the jury couldn’t decide, the accused was put through trial or ordeal by the church
What was the thee ways the church influenced crime & punishment?
Benefit of Clergy
Sanctuary
Trial by ordeal
What was benefit of the Clergy?
People proved their right to benefit of clergy by reading out passages of the bible
What was sanctuary?
Protection from the law
What happened when people claimed sanctuary?
The priests reported the crime so no one could arrest the accused
What choices were the accused given when in sanctuary?
Go to court
Swear an oath agreeing to leave the country
What happened when the accused didn’t leave the country within the 40 days after swearing the oath in sanctuary?
They were outlawed
What were the three ways Trial by Ordeal was done?
Trial by hot iron
Trial by water
Trial by consecrated bread
What was trial by hot iron?
If the burn healed the person was innocent
What was trial by water?
If the person sank they were innocent
What was trial by consecrated bread?
If they choked they were guilty
Who was trial by consecrated bread for?
Priests
