Crime&Punishment

• What were some actions that have always been regarded as crimes across all three eras of medieval England?

  Theft and murder
• A 'crime' is an activity that breaks a law
• During the Anglo-Saxon period, laws were made by the people with power and wealth.
• Stealing crops or poaching is an example of a crime against property
• Laws in Anglo-Saxon times were primarily written down and unified across the country.

  False
• By what year were Anglo-Saxon kings issuing codes of law?

  1000
• William I added new laws that created new crimes
• Which king introduced standard written laws across England in 1154?

  Henry II
• Poaching increased after the Forest Laws because peasants needed food from what had been common land.
• The Church was a major authority in defining criminal activity
• What role did the Church play in medieval law enforcement?

  Defined laws and punishments
• William I added new crimes such as rebellion and those covered by the Forest Laws.
• Approximately 30% of England became 'Royal forest' under William I for hunting
• What was required to hunt in the Royal Forests under William I's laws?

  Hunting rights
• The Anglo-Saxons welcomed the Norman Invasion and William I's new laws without resistance.

  False
• If an Anglo-Saxon murdered a Norman and the culprit was not caught, the 'murdrum fine' had to be paid by the hundred
• Why was the 'murdrum fine' introduced by William I?

  To control the conquered population
• During the Anglo-Saxon period, there was no official police force, and communities were responsible for law enforcement.
• Shires in Anglo-Saxon England were divided into areas called tithings
• What was the 'hue and cry' in Anglo-Saxon law enforcement?

  A call for help to catch criminals
• The Normans introduced trial by combat as a way to settle disputes.
• What was the role of a parish constable in later medieval law enforcement?

  To keep the peace and arrest suspects
• Trial by ordeal and by combat were abolished in the year 1215
• Arrange the following government-appointed officials in chronological order of their creation.

  1️⃣ Keepers of the peace (1195)

  2️⃣ Justices of the Peace (1361)
• The aims of medieval punishment were primarily retribution, deterrence, and keeping people safe.
• Match the type of medieval punishment with its description.

  Fines ↔️ Monetary payment for crimes

  Maiming ↔️ Corporal punishment causing physical harm

  Hanging ↔️ Capital punishment by death
• The Anglo-Saxon system of paying compensation to victims of crime was called the Wergild
• The Normans ended the Wergild system and fines were paid to the king.
• How did social status influence medieval punishments?

  Commoners faced harsher penalties
• Capital punishment refers to the act of killing
• What is the aim of deterrence in medieval punishment?

  To prevent future crimes
• What determined the amount of Wergild payable in Anglo-Saxon times?

  The victim's social status
• During the later medieval period, commoners were hanged for murder, while nobles were beheaded.
• Capital punishment refers to the act of killing the criminal
• What is the purpose of deterrence in punishment?

  Prevent future crimes
• The Church played a direct role in deciding what constituted a crime and its punishment in medieval England.
• People proved their right to benefit of clergy by reading a passage from the Bible
• What did sanctuary offer to an accused person in medieval England?

  Protection from the law
• In 1215, the pope ordered priests to stop administering trial by ordeal.
• Match the type of ordeal with its outcome:

  Trial by hot water ↔️ If the burn healed, innocent

  Trial by water ↔️ If the person sank, innocent

  Trial by bread ↔️ If they choked, guilty