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Crime and punishment in the Middle Ages - Coggle Diagram
Crime and punishment in the Middle Ages
Impact of Henry II
1154 - introduced important reforms
1166 - reorganised courts and set up prisons for those accused and awaiting trial (changes = Assize of Clarendon)
Ordered royal judges (Justices of Eyre) to visit the counties twice a year to hear the most serious cases.
Increased role of the king, more centralised control over the court system
Standard written instructions were issued to sheriffs
Development of the jury and Guilt decided in public
Juries of presentment, didn’t consider evidence, people representing local communities that had to report under oath all crimes committed in their area and name those deemed responsible
Juries became more important, pope banned the clergy from trial by ordeal -- withdrew church from legal process
Judgement of their neighbours still option
Law Enforcement
growth of towns meant that there were more opportunities to commit crimes, than in small village communities
move away from local communities dealing with crimes to a system where crimes were dealt with by government appointed officials
towns divided into "wards" so townspeople could play their own part in apprehending offenders, for hue and cry
for less serious crimes, anglo-saxon practices continued at local level
Local officials known as tithingmen (saxon times) were now called "constables"
Manor courts had been used for years to deal with disputes between the lord of the manor and the local people e.g. if a person was accused of not carrying out their duties
New laws creating new crimes
parliament created 2 crimes
The Statute of Labourers made it a crime to ask for higher wages
New heresy laws made it a crime to disagree with Church teachings
The Statute of Labourers
The Black Death meant that there were fewer workers and so peasants could demand higher wages. The ruling class were worried that peasants would become wealthier and more powerful, so parliament passed this new law
law: introduced a maximum wage and it was a crime to ask for more, illegal to move to a new area for better paid work, fined Lords who paid them more than before.
continuity - Normans introduced laws to protect their own interests at the expenses of peasants e.g. forest laws
change - increase in parliament in law making, Statute passed by king and parliament, not just by king (norman england)
Heresy
During the 13th and 14th centuries a small group of reformers questioned how the church was run. (They wanted the bible to be available in English so regular people could read it and they wanted to stop the sacraments of bread and wine)
The Clergy felt threatened by these new ideas and Medieval kings wanted to support the Church.
1401 = Heretics burned at the stake
1414 = JPs took suspected heretics to be tried at church courts before being passed back to secular authorities for punishment if guilty
shows government officials and the Church working together
Punishments
Hanged, drawn and quartered introduced against high treason, meant to be a strong deterrent
continuation of: fines, stocks/pillory, physical maiming, execution (hanging)
Other Changes
1154, coroners introduced by Richard I
1195, Richard I introduced knights as keepers of the king's peace in unruly areas
1361, men appointed to role by king became known as Justices of the Peace, met 4 times a year to carry out their duties and enforce the law, selected on status and wealth. very harsh on poachers as most were landowners