crime and punishment medieval Flashcards
(17 cards)
what is a tithing?
group of 10 men preventing a crime - all men in tithing were responsible for each other
what is the hue and cry?
victim/witness to a crime called out for help - entire village had to join the hunt to find criminal, if they didn’t whole village had to pay a fine
what were the courts in anglo saxon law enforcement?
royal courts - most serious crimes
shire courts - lesser crimes
hundred courts - petty crimes
what was trial by ordeal?
if local jury couldn’t decide on guilt or innocence the accused was handed over to the church for god to decide
what was trial by combat?
introduced by the norman’s (warrior nation) - the accused chose to fight against another to prove innocence
what were the murdrum fines?
introduced to establish control over saxons - if a norman was murdered by a saxon and weren’t captured all the saxons in area body was found had to pay a fine
what were the forest laws?
William claimed 30% of england as ‘royal forests’ - only those who could afford hunting rights could hunt their. Punishments were harsh e.g fingers chopped off, castration or blinding
what was a posse?
able bodied men of the county who were summoned if hue and cry failed
who were the sheriffs?
the sheriff supervised his shire, could summon a posse if hue and cry failed - used from 1286
what were parish constables?
local men elected to police a village, volunteered for a year at a time, led the hue and cry
what were church courts?
created by william I to deal with ‘moral crimes’, church claimed the right to try any churchman accused of a crime in its own church courts
what is sanctuary?
someone on the run could reach a church to claim sanctuary under protection of church, couldn’t be arrested, 40 days to agree to go on trial or agree to leave country
what was benefit of the clergy?
claim made by accused to be tried in a church court, intended for priests only - could claim benefit of clergy by reading passage from bible as priests were some of few people who could read - became known as ‘neck verse’ as it could save your neck
what was the purpose of punishment in medieval?
deterrence and retribution
what was wergild?
compensation paid to victims family if someone was murdered - fines were determined by social status
what was corporal punishment?
punishment of an offender by causing them physical pain, used for lesser crimes e.g petty theft
what was capital punishment?
the death penalty - execution, used for serious crimes e.g treason
