Middle Ages CP Flashcards
middle ages crimes against the person
murdrum assault murder public disorder rape
middle ages crimes against property
arson
theft
poaching
counterfeiting coins
middle ages crimes against authority
treason
rebellion
define poaching
hunting wild animals on other’s land without paying hunting rights
social crime -> people turned a blind eye as they needed food to survive
it was previously common land
explain forest laws
30% of england became royal forests only to be used by nobility communities evicted from this land cant cut down trees had to pay hunting rights to use them -> seen as unfair
explain murdrum
if an anglo-saxon/non norman killed a norman and the criminal wasn’t found, the people in the hundred/area where the crime was committed had to pay a fine
murdering a norman became a serious crime
define a hundred
an area (of land)
why was the crime-rate low?
small communities
everyone knew eachother
how many tithings per hundred?
10
what’s a shire reeve?
local man met regularly with 1 man per tithing took criminals to court made sure punishments were carried out BECAME THE SHERIFF LATER ON
describe royal courts
national
dealt with serious crimes
inconsistent -> verdict depended greatly on who was on the jury and if they knew the accused, resulting in biased judgements
CHANGE -> REPLACED SHIRE COURTS
shire courts
dealt with lesser crimes
CONTINUITY
hundred courts
dealt with petty crimes
CONTINUITY
church courts
less serious crimes
for churchmen or people who said the neck verse
define sanctuary
stay at the church for up to 40 days
decide whether to face trial or go into exile
define pennance
making up for your crime
e.g. going to church more
what are moral offences?
crimes against God
define benefit of the clergy
the right to be trialed in a church court
for moral crimes
people who couldn’t read/write memorised neck verse
they were less harsh -> showed unequal treatment
what’s the neck verse?
bible passage you recite to show you’re part of the church
law enforcement continuity
hue and cry
tithings
most of the court system (royal courts = new)
law enforcement change
trial by combat -> guilty one dies foresters -> enforced forest laws parish constable sheriff (ROLE CHANGE) coroner sanctuary justices of the peace
what happened as towns grew
authorities were more involved
before it was mainly up to locals
what’s a parish constable?
local person
volunteer
led hue and cry
what’s a coroner’s job?
investigates unnatural deaths
what’s a sheriff?
ensured criminals were punished?
NEW ROLE : to track down criminals
changes in justice
royal courts -> scribes, wrote everything down
oath/neck verse
trial by ordeal -> abolished 1215
changes in punishments
you can get a pardon from the king
you can join the army for punishment
fines now paid to the king
what’s a justice of the peace?
1361
volunteering judges
in small courts
what’s a justice of the assize/eyre?
royal judge appointed by king
visited counties twice a year to judge serious cases
created courts -> royal courts
established prisons for those waiting to be trialed
ensured punishments were consistent
what’s the assize of clarendon?
1166
created clear rules on how to deal with criminals
when was the justices of the peace act passed?
1361
examples of punishments
mutilation/maiming, flogging -> corporal
fines
stocks/pillory
hanging, beheading -> capital
why did capital punishment increase?
tension between normans and saxons
replaced wergild -> to act as a deterrent
more crimes became capital
its use later decreased
when were coroners introduced?
1190
why was the neck verse an issue?
guilty criminals memorised it to get away with crimes
what happened to women who nagged their husbands?
dunked into water with dunking stool
state diff. trial by ordeals
hot water hot iron water (sink/float) bread combat ABOLISHED 1215
