Medieval Crime And Punishment

Question 1

When did the pope ban trial by ordeal

Answer 1

1215

Question 2

When did trial by ordeal end

Answer 2

The pope banned it in 1215 but it officially ended in England 1219

Question 3

When did trial by ordeal end in England

Answer 3

1219

Question 4

When was the first Black Death / plague

Answer 4

1348

Question 5

What happened in 1348

Answer 5

The first Black Death

Question 6

What did the 1348 Black Death lead to

Answer 6

The 1351 statute of laborers and the 1381 peasants revolt

Question 7

What did the 1351 statute of laborers do

Answer 7

Banned peasants from looking for new jobs and introduced a maximum wage as a result of the 1348 plague/ black death

Question 8

why were the consitiutions of clrendon introduced

Answer 8

King Henry II of England issued the 1164 Constitutions of Clarendon in an attempt to gain control over the punishment of members of the clergy who committed crimes

Question 9

When were the constitutions of Clarendon made

Answer 9

1164

Question 10

What did the 1164 constitutions of Clarendon do

Answer 10

Reduce the ecclesiastical privileges and curb the power of the church courts and the extent of papal authority in England

Question 11

Wergild definition

Answer 11

A system of fines based on social status ( wergild for killing a noble was considerably higher than that of a peasant)

Question 12

Hue and cry

Answer 12

calling on fellow villagers to chase the criminal. If villagers failed to join then the village could be fined.

Question 13

4 examples of Anglo Saxon punishment

Answer 13

Fines (wergild), maiming/ mutilation , hanging , stocks and pillaries

Question 14

Types of trial by ordeal

Answer 14

Cold water, hot water, hot iron, blessed bread (clergy) , combat (Normans)

Question 15

Characteristics of Anglo Saxon punishment

Answer 15

Mainly fines,corporal punishment (mutilation) for repeat offenders and capital punishment for rare serious offenses I.e treason

Question 16

What new laws did the Norman’s create

Answer 16

Forest laws and Murdrum fine

Question 17

What was murdrum

Answer 17

When a Norman was killed an expensive fine was charged to the county

Question 18

What were the 1066 forest laws and why did they upset people

Answer 18

A large portion of English countryside became the king’s forest in which you needed a license to hunt . People in the forest were not allowed to own dogs or a bow and arrow. People were also not allowed to hunt deer

People were angry as it was previously a basic right or even career to hunt for food

Question 19

What happened to Anglo Saxon legal systems after the Normans took over

Answer 19

They stayed mostly the same with the exception of forest laws, murdrum fines and the introduction of church courts

Question 20

Give 3 examples of medieval law enforcement

Answer 20

Hue and cry , tithings, and hundreds, trial by ordeal, trial by local jury, church courts

Question 21

What sentence does d church courts never give

Answer 21

The death Sentence

Question 22

What type of crimes were church courts used for

Answer 22

Moral crimes like adultery and public drunkenness

Question 23

What was benefit of the clergy
And what did people have to do to prove they had it

Answer 23

The claim to be tried in a church court intended only for priests but used by anyone loosely connected to the church

To prove they had benefit of the clergy people would read a bible verse as previously only priests would be educated but people would try and memorize the verse verbally and thus called it the neck verse (people tried to save their necks)

Question 24

What happened to punishments after William 1 took over 1066

Answer 24

They became harsher

William was tougher on criminals as he believed anyone who committed a crime was going against the King’s Peace rather than just the individual victim

Question 25

what is a social crime (give an example from this period)

Answer 25

A social crime is an act most people don’t believe is criminal and which they are prepared to commit or ignore. For example : poaching

Question 26

what is a moral crime give an example from this period

Answer 26

Moral crimes are actions that don’t physically harm anyone or their property, but which don’t match society’s views of decent behaviour. For example : public drunkenness

Question 27

what was a parish constable?

Answer 27

a law enforcement officer, usually unpaid and part-time which meant that communities were ‘policing’ themselves. The Parish Constable was expected to perform all of the main duties associated with local policing.

Question 28

what did the parish constable do? (3 things) app

Answer 28

the Parish Constable was expected to perform all of the main duties associated with local policing. this included:

Arrest people who have committed crimes.

Prevent crimes such as trespassing and poaching

Carry out punishments such as whipping vagabonds

Question 29

what were the two types of trial

Answer 29

trial by ordeal and trial by local jury

Question 30

what was trial by local jury

Answer 30

Trial by local jury - The jury was made up of men from the village tithing who knew the accuser and the accused. The jury would listen to accounts from both, and possibly witnesses, before deciding who was telling the truth.

Question 31

what was trial by cold water

Answer 31

Trial by cold water - The accused was tied to a rope and lowered into water. If the accused floated, it was believed that the water had rejected them and that God had therefore judged the person to be guilty.

Question 32

punishment for breaking forest laws

Answer 32

People in the forest were not allowed to own dogs or a bow and arrow and were punished by having their first two fingers cut off so that they could no longer use a bow and arrow. Repeat offenders were blinded.

Question 33

what was the kings peace

Answer 33

that it was the king’s duty to take care of law and order

Question 34

what new law enforcement did the normans introduce

Answer 34

The Normans introduced Church courts. If a member of the Church was accused of a crime, they were tried in these separate courts

Question 35

what were royal courts , who introduced them and when

Answer 35

Royal courts were introduced by Henry II in 1163. A royal court was appointed by the king and would travel the country. The most serious cases of crime were heard by a royal court.

Question 36

when were church courts introduced

Answer 36

1163

Question 37

what was a coroner, who introduced them and when

Answer 37

In 1194 Richard I introduced coroners. Their job was to investigate any death that occurred from unnatural causes

Question 38

when were coroners introduced

Answer 38

1194 richard 1

Question 39

what kind of role did the church play in medieval law and order

Answer 39

Church and religious beliefs played an important role in law and order. It was often the responsibility of the Church to decide whether an individual was guilty of a crime. This had a significant impact on definitions of crime

extra -
Clergy were often the most educated members of the community.

Question 40

what was sancturary

Answer 40

A criminal who was trying to escape capture could go to a church to claim sanctuary

once inside the church, the criminal was under the Church’s protection and the sheriff was not allowed to arrest them.

The criminal had 40 days to either attend trial or leave the country.

Anyone who did not leave within 40 days was considered an outlaw.

Question 41

what would happen if you did not leave sancturary in 40 days

Answer 41

Anyone who did not leave within 40 days was considered an outlaw.

Question 42

what would happen to a criminal after claiming sanctuary at a church

Answer 42

once inside the church, the criminal was under the Church’s protection and the sheriff was not allowed to arrest them.

The criminal had 40 days to either attend trial or leave the country.

Question 43

what was the “neck verse”

Answer 43

To claim ‘benefit of the clergy’, an individual had to read a verse from Psalm 51 in the Bible

Question 44

bible verse had to be read to claim benefit of the clergy

Answer 44

psalm 51