Medieval England 1000-1500

Question 1

What is the historical context of the Anglo-Saxon Period?

Answer 1

• 90% rural population
  pop= 1.7m-2m
• war,disease, poor harvests
• Ongoing conflict (scottish and vikings)
• Trade in towns - oppoutunity for crime
• social strucuture very strict
  nobles, freemen and serfs

Question 2

What was the role of authority of the Anglo-Saxon Period?

Answer 2

• Kings peace
• community made their own laws
• nobles could avise the king on new laws
• king Ethelred attacked viking settlers to gain control of land
• increasing influence of king and church; capital punishment to boost power and ‘saving souls

Question 3

What is the religious context of the Anglo-Saxon Period?

Answer 3

church was extemely wealthy and powerful
- collected taxes
- owned 1/5 of all welath in england
- huge influence over abbeys and monastries
- large, central, intimidating buildings

Question 4

What is the nature of crime and laws of the Anglo-Saxon Period?

Answer 4

• crimes against property,person and authority
• moral crimes
• treason threatened the kings power
• the king issues ‘codes of law’

Question 5

What is the nature of law enforcement and policing of the Anglo-Saxon Period?

Answer 5

• collective responsibility
• tithings
• hue and cry
• shire reeve appointed by the local people
• trial by ordeal
• trial by jury
• oaths and oath helper

Question 6

What is the nature of punishment of the Anglo-Saxon Period?

Answer 6

aim of deterrence
- wergild
the accused pay the victim’s family a fine
- stocks and pillory
- capital and coporal punishment
- hanging for serious crimes eg. treason and arson
- fines

Question 7

What is the historical context of the Norman Period?

Answer 7

• 1066 - **Battle of Hastings/ Norman Conquest **
• william needed to show his visible strength over anglo-saxons
• small communties (but towns are growing)

Question 8

What was the role of authority of the Norman Period?

Answer 8

CONTINUITY
- Kings peace changed to Kings Mund

CHANGE
- laws more centralised and uniform
- power of the king increased

Question 9

What is the religious context of the Norman Period?

Answer 9

CONTINUITY
- Powerful influence of Church

CHANGE
- Increasing influence of the Church

Question 10

What is the nature of crime and laws of the Norman Period?

Answer 10

CONTINUITY
- local community still makes some decisions on laws

CHANGE
- forest laws and poaching
- outlaws
- fewer decision on law made by communities

Question 11

What is the nature of law enforcement and policing of the Norman Period?

Answer 11

CONTINUITY
- collective responsibility
- tithings
- hue and cry
- shire reeve appointed by the local people
- trial by ordeal
- trial by jury
- oaths and oath helper

CHANGE
- castles to keep control
- trial by combat
- feudal system
king.noble.knights, serfs
- domesday book

Question 12

What is the nature of punishment of the Norman Period?

Answer 12

acted as deterrent
CONTINUITY
- collective responsibility
- hanging, maiming

CHANGE
- increased use of harsh punishments eg. branding/castration - deterrent
- wergild abolished. mudrum fine
- poaching punished as a capital crime
- punishments aimed at whole communities eg. destroyed crops, causing a famine and 100k people to die

Question 13

What is the historical context of the Later-Middle Ages?

Answer 13

• 1348 black death; 1/3 of the peopulation died
• the peasants revolt
• towns growing eg. London 30k
• parliament was established to help make decisions & laws

Question 14

What was the role of authority of the Later-Middle Ages?

Answer 14

CONTINUITY
- ruling class still created laws to protect their own interests (power and wealth) ie. like the poaching laws

CHANGE
- more centralised and unified
- parliament was established to help make decisions & laws
- government appointed government officials not village locaks

Question 15

What is the religious context of the Later-Middle Ages?

Answer 15

CONTINUITY
- role of the king still closely linked to god

CHANGE
- people started to question the practices of the church (herectics)
- 1215- the pope ended trial by ordeal
- benefit of clergy and sanctuary

Question 16

What is the nature of crime and laws of the Later-Middle Ages?

Answer 16

aim of deterrence
CONTINUITY
- ruling class still created laws to protect their own interests (power and wealth) ie. like the poaching laws

CHANGE
- Parliament and the king carried out law-making
- The statute of Labourers 1351 - made it illegal to ask for higher wages
- Heresy Laws 1382, 1401, 1414
- high treason - challenging the king

Question 17

What is the nature of law enforcement and policing of the Later-Middle Ages?

Answer 17

CONTINUITY
- collective responsibility
- hue and cry

CHANGE
- JPS- made law enforcmenet for uniform (replaced shire reeve)
- Assize of Clarendon- improved court ans prison system
- Justices in Eyre- royal judges visit most serious cases of crime
- coroners created in 1194 to investigate unexplained deaths

Question 18

What is the nature of punishment of the Later-Middle Ages?

Answer 18

CONTINUITY
- fines
- corporal punishment and executions

CHANGE
- Punishment for high treason was to be hanged, drawn and quatered
- punishment for heresy was burning at the stake

Question 19

CASE STUDY: the church in the Middle Ages

Answer 19

church was extemely **wealthy and powerful **
- collected taxes
- owned 1/5 of all welath in england
- huge influence over abbeys and monastries
- large, central, intimidating buildings

• trial by ordeal
  1215- the pope ended trial by ordeal
• church courts and the king
  11th century- moral courts set up to offer reform
  12th century- limited power of the church as it challenged the kings authority (constitution of clarendon)
• benefit of clergy
• sanctuary
  1536- ended during reign on Henry VIII