1500-1700

• What were the social changes from the medieval period to early modern

  Changes

  • population growth
  • economic changes
  • printing
  • religious turmoil
  • political change
  • landowners attitudes
• how did population growth affect crime and punishment

  villages were too small to support everyone so people started to move into more urban areas in order to look for work . this mass movement of people increased anonymity as people no longer lived in tight knit communities . this was also a period of mistrust as people didn’t want to give work to strangers.
• why did increased anonymity cause an increase in crime

  people couldn’t get jobs as people didn’t trust each other meaning people had to turn to a life of crime to survive . also it meant it was easier to get away with a crime because you were less likely to be identified
• why were there economic changes in the early modern period

  because the British empire began to develop and this meant they had more resources which made the rich richer as there was lots of profit
• why was the economic changes in the early modern period bad for the poor

  they were forced into low paying jobs and this made them vulnerable to rising food prices and bad harvests , this led to hardship for many and it meant that people had to turn to things like smuggling and poaching in order to not starve. if they got caught they would be executed but they had to feed their families
• when was the printing press invented

  1436
• why did printing make fear of crime worse

  it led people to believe that crime was more serious than it was , which heightened peoples fear. this was also the purpose as people would then like to be kept up to date which led to more bing soled which was good for profit. this in particular increased fear around witchcraft and vagabondage
• when did Henry viii break away from the Catholic Church

  1534 - and created the Church of England
• what did religious turmoil mean for crime and punishment 


  this constant switch between Catholicism and protestantism meant people got confused. this also led to an increase in heresy as each side claimed the other was in legue of the Devil. people were also sick of the constant change
• when was the English civil war

  1642-1649
• when did Edward vi rule

  1547-1553
• what religion was Edward vi

  protestant
• when did Mary i rule

  1553-1558
• what religion was Mary i

  catholic , and executed over 200 Protestants
• when did elizabeth i rule

  1558-1603
• what religion was Elizabeth i

  Protestant
• when did james vi rule

  1603-1625
• what religion was james vi

  Protestant
• what was significant about the political change in the early modern period

  it was the first time since the romans that England didnt have a monarch
• who was executed at the end of the civil war

  charles i
• how did the political change impact the people

  many thought god would come down and kill them for killing a king (treason) and they felt like the world turned upside down which created insecurity and fear. it made it easier for people to believe that crime rates were increasing which would mean they wanted harsher punishment
• what happened to landowners influence in the early modern period

  it increased
• How did landowners attitudes affect crime and punishment 


  They encouraged laws which defended their rights and power and property against those who they regarded as a threat . They were suspicious of the poor and felt threatened by their growing numbers . This meant that social crimes had harsher punishments as they benefited the poor and not the rich
• how did treason and heresy becoming closely linked impact crime and punishment

  in 1534 when Henry viii passed the act of supremacy it meant that the monarch had overall religious authority, catholics who refused to conform were then punished with treason because they were defying the king
• when was the book of common prayer introduced

  1549
• what was the book of common prayer

  it was a book on Protestant church services and was written in English
• what did the act of uniformity in 1549 do 


  made it compulsory for everyone to use the book of common prayer for worship and those who didn’t would be fined or imprisoned
• what did Elizabeth’s middle way do for religion

  she tried to create a Protestant church which would satisfy everyone. in 1559 she passed the new act of supremacy which made her the supreme governor of the church. the act of uniformity was also passed to say Protestantism was the official religion and those who didn’t conform would be fined, she was lenient with this though. she also included some catholic aspects
• when was elizabeth excommunicated and what did it mean

  1570- it meant the pope encouraged catholics to remove her from the throne so she became less tolerant , there was a new treason act passed meaning it was treason to say elizabeth wasn’t the rightful queen, leading to over 250 catholics being executed
• in the Tudor period when did witchcraft become a crime

  1542
• How did the gunpowder plot affect witchcraft

  It meant there was an increase in accusations
• when did james i publish demonology

  1597- it encouraged witch hunting
• why did poaching increase in the early modern period

  areas that the poor used to be able o access were now closed off by rich landlords, who grazed sheep there and built homes in the secluded areas as they were attractive. new farming strategies also only benefited the rich
• when was the game act introduced

  1671
• what did the game act mean

  illegals to take food from privately owned areas
• what was the crime of vagabondage and when was it introduced

  it was the crime of being homeless and unemployed

  it was a new crime in the 1500s
• why were people so scared of vagabonds

  they were seen as lazy which was a sin and fear was also increased in pamphlets about them which emphasised their threat
• what was a dumerer

  someone who pretended to be deaf, blind or mute
• what were drunken tinkers

  thieves that used trade as a cover story
• what were priggers and prancers

  horse thieves