History medical crimes 1250-1500

• The Church thought that sinners would go to hell.most people were criminals who worked for the land of the manor
• Social hierarchy in medieval Britain 1250-1500

  • The king at the top
  • Clergy and aristocracy in between
  • Common people at the bottom
• People had to uphold the law and attitudes of the Church and the king
• Lords ruled large parts of the land and helped the king in battle
• England was divided into counties each controlled by a sheriff
• People relied on the land for food and work, and if this failed some could starve
• Most people lived in simple, cramped houses law also sated that adult men had to keep weapons In case of
• Types of medieval crimes

  • Felonies (serious crimes such as murder and theft of expensive goods)
  • Petty crimes (small and not very significant such as debt and limited harm)
• The majority of crimes were non-violent and theft was the most common crime
• Crime grew as rebellious rich landowners used their private armies to control their local area, especially during the Wars of the Roses
• Terrible famine in the 14th century increased the crime rate due to hunger and debt
• Homicide rates were high due to factors like sudden deaths, arguments, and lack of medical care
• Suicide was considered a serious crime as the Church taught only God could decide when life should end
• Over half of medieval homicides stemmed from arguments, especially during harvests
• Factors contributing to medieval crime

  • The teachings of the Church
  • The rigid structure of society
  • Reliance on farming to make ends meet
• Vagrancy became a problem after the Black Death due to labour shortages, leading to laws requiring workers to stay in their home villages
• Medieval manors could devise their own laws, and 'scolding' (offensive speech) became a crime mainly applied to women after 1350
• Treason was clearly defined in 1351 and included a woman killing her husband, as well as counterfeiting coins
• Heresy (spreading beliefs not allowed by the Church) became a major crime after 1500 as the Church feared people might go to hell
• What did the parliament do I'm 1351


  They passed a law requirement of able bodied to swear that they would Stay and work st there own village