KT2 1500-1700

• What societal changes led to an increase in crimes?

  Increase in population and decline of feudalism
• How did urbanization relate to crime rates?

  More people moved to cities seeking work so crime increased because society was more anonymous
• What led to the enclosure of land?

  End of feudalism and new farming methods
• What crime increased due to land enclosure?

  Poaching as hunting rights were restricted
• What was a consequence of changes in religious beliefs?

  Increase in charges of heresy and treason
• Why were treason and heresy charges more common under the Tudors?

  Disputes over who should rule and changing religions
• What were the main crimes against authority in early modern England?

  • Heresy
  • Treason
• When did heresy first become a crime?

  In 1382
• What was the punishment for heresy?

  Usually burned to death at the stake
• What is high treason?


  Plotting to harm the ruler or country
• What is heresy?

  Having beliefs different from the official religion
• What actions did Henry VIII take against Protestants?

  Executed them for heresy and Catholics for treason
• Who executed many Catholics for treason?

  James I
• What was the Gunpowder Plot?

  A conspiracy to replace the monarch
• What were the reasons for vagrancy becoming a crime?

  • Increase in population
  • Falling wages
  • Rising food prices
• What is a vagabond?

  An unemployed, homeless person
• What led to the increase in smuggling in the 17th century?

  Import tax on certain goods was introduced
• What was the punishment for witchcraft under Henry VIII?


  Death penalty
• How did the English Civil War contribute to witch-hunts?

  Created scapegoats for economic and political problems
• What evidence was used to convict people of witchcraft?

  • Unusual marks on the body
  • Witness accounts
  • Accused floating in water
  • Confessions from the accused
• Who was Matthew Hopkins?

  The 'Witchfinder General'
• What was the impact of the printing press on witch-hunts?

  Spread information quickly about witches
• How did the lack of authority during the Civil War affect witch-hunts?

  Weakened control and led to lawlessness
• What role did James I play in witch-hunting?

  Promoted witch-hunting through his writings (his book Demonologie)
• What was the punishment for vagrancy under the 1547 Vagrancy Act?

  Branded and sold as a slave
• What did the 1601 Poor Laws establish?

  Provided relief for the deserving poor
• How did social changes during the Civil War influence witch-hunts?

  Increased fear and scapegoating of individuals
• What was the consequence of the vagabonds and beggars act of 1494?

  Vagabonds put in stocks and sent back
• What was the significance of the 1597 Act for the Relief of the Poor?


  Classified vagrants into deserving and undeserving
• How did the closure of monasteries affect vagrancy?

  Reduced support for the needy, increasing vagrancy
• What was the role of the clergy in heresy charges?

  Charged and judged individuals for heresy
• What was the punishment for witchcraft under Elizabeth I?

  Death penalty in common court
• How did the English Civil War influence religious beliefs?

  Increased religious differences and tensions
• What was the relationship between treason and heresy during the Tudor period?

  Both were linked through changing monarchs
• What event increased witchcraft accusations in England?

  The Civil War
• Why did Puritans believe witchcraft was used?

  They thought Royalists used it against them
• What happened to local authorities during the Civil War?

  They lost control
• What was the result of law and order collapsing in some areas?

  Increased chaos and lawlessness
• What was the title of Matthew Hopkins' pamphlet?

  The Discovery of Witches
• What invention helped spread information quickly in the 15th century?

  The printing press