Anglo-saxons

• How did Saxon lords maintain control over their territories?

  Through a system of loyalty rewarded by gifts of money, power, or land
• What was the blood feud system in Saxon crime prevention?

  • Victim's family could retaliate against the offender's family
  • Retaliation could escalate over generations
  • This system was ended in the later Saxon period
• What is wergild in Saxon law?

  Compensation paid to a victim or their family for harm inflicted
• How did the amount of wergild vary?

  It differed based on the type of harm and from town to town
• What was the hue and cry system in Saxon policing?

  • Villagers were expected to scream and chase a criminal
  • The entire village would join in the pursuit
• What was a tithing in Saxon society?

  A group of ten men responsible for each other's actions
• What happened if one member of a tithing committed a crime?

  All members would be fined
• What was trial by ordeal in Saxon law?

  • A method to determine guilt or innocence through divine intervention
  • Multiple types included:
  • Trial by hot iron
  • Trial by hot water
  • Trial by cold water
  • Trial by blessed bread
• How did trial by hot iron work?

  The accused held a red hot iron, and their wound was inspected after three days
• What was the outcome of trial by hot water?

  The accused retrieved an object from boiling water, and their wound was inspected later
• How did trial by cold water determine guilt?

  If the accused floated, they were guilty; if they sank, they were innocent
• What was trial by blessed bread primarily used for?

  It was mainly used for clergy to determine guilt
• What did the accused do in trial by blessed bread?

  They prayed to choke on the bread if guilty, then ate it