Anglo-Saxon

Cards (26)

  • Medieval England ruled by Kings
    Responsible for making laws and protecting land from attack
  • Great Majority of people followed teachings of the Catholic Church and attended services regulary
  • Anglo-Saxon society is based on close-knit farming communities
  • Most common crimes were against property e.g. petty theft
  • As there was no police force, local communities played a vital part in policing and trials
  • Hue And Cry (Policing Method)
    If an alarm was raised the entire village had to hunt for the criminal
    If someone didn't join the whole village had to pay a heavy fine
  • Trial by Local Jury
    A jury of local men who knew the accuser and the accused
    If no clear evidence jury members decided guilty or innocent based on their knowledge of those concerned
  • Trial by Ordeal
    If local jury couldn't agree then trial by ordeal was used in hope God would decide
    All ordeals were taken in or near a church with a priest present
  • Wergild (Fine)

    Compensation paid to the victim or their family
    Level of fine was set by the king's laws
    Different prices for different roles or bodily injuries
  • Execution
    Death penalty was used for treason against the King or betraying your lord
    Helped enforce loyalty
  • Mutilation
    Reoffenders could lose a hand, ear or their nose or even be blinded
  • Forest Laws
    1068
  • Trial by Ordeal abolished in England
    1215
  • William I was faced with controlling 2 million Anglo-Saxons with just over 7000 Norman soldiers
  • Church Courts were established
    • Separated courts used for churchmen and clergy when they were accused of crimes
    • Tended to be more leniently as they didn't want to bring their reputation into disrepute
    • Many saw these as a hindrance to justice
  • Normans ended Wergild
    • Fines were now paid to the King's officials in the Murdrum Fine
  • After the Romans left in 400 AD
    • Anglo-Saxons and Jutes invaded Britain
    • Period of relative lawlessness and blood feuds were the main way of settling grudges or gaining justice
  • Blood feuds
    1. If somebody hurts or murders someone in your family, you have the right to go back and murder someone in their family
    2. This leads to retribution, revenge and very little justice
  • Tithing
    Groups of men over 12 who are put into a group together, and if one of them commits a crime, the rest have to pay a fine
  • Oath helpers
    People who can swear your innocence if you have a good standing in the local community
  • Trial by ordeal
    If the jury cannot decide your guilt, you will undergo an ordeal like plunging your hand into boiling water to appeal to God
  • Wergild
    Fines paid to the people who have been harmed by a crime, with the amount depending on the victim's status
  • There are no police or prisons, only temporary imprisonment until trial
  • Punishments
    • Fines
    • Corporal punishment (mutilation, whipping, stocks)
    • Capital punishment (hanging, beheading)
  • Punishments are about deterrence, and there is a focus on loyalty and oaths
  • Court system
    • Folk moots/hundred courts (monthly)
    • Shire courts (twice a year)
    • Royal courts (for serious criminals)