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MEDIEVAL: Early modern society (The way the country was ruled + Religion +…
MEDIEVAL: Early modern society (The way the country was ruled + Religion + attitudes towards crime)
EARLY MODERN SOCIETY
CHURCH + RELIGON
Henry VIII became King of Catholic England in 1509.
By the 1530s, Henry had put plans in place to change religion in England, making it a Protestant nation.
Henry wanted to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon but the Pope refused to allow this to happen.
In response, Henry created the Church of England.
This meant that England converted to Protestantism and he was allowed to marry Anne Boleyn
THE REFORMATION
The period that followed saw England sway between being Catholic and Protestant resulting in chaos and confusion.
The religious rollercoaster saw many being accused of being ‘in league’ with the Devil and belief in the supernatural become more popular.
THE MEDIA
The printing press was an important invention which became a powerful tool during this period.
Pamphlets were created and circulated amongst the population, containing pictures and information.
The favourite topic was crime, especially witchcraft and vagabondage.
The media fuelled fear of crime by spreading ideas about the severity of crime.
TRAVEL + TECHNOLOGY
The rising population meant that there were fewer jobs available so people ended up travelling to find work.
This led to increasing concerns about tramps, beggars and those travelling to look for work.
As a result the new crime of vagabondage became something that people in this period feared.
Attitudes towards this crime depended upon the situation in society at the time.
During times of poor harvests punishments often became more serious.
CRIME DURING EARLY MODERN PERIOD
VAGABONDAGE
Being a vagrant or vagabond became a crime in the Early Modern period.
This was mainly because people were moving around looking for work.
During periods of mass unemployment, people in towns and villages became increasingly concerned about vagabonds, fearing a rise in crime if they came to their local area.
The local unemployed people were assisted financially by the town or village where they lived, thanks to the Poor Rates.
However, residents were not happy to provide assistance to outsiders
VAGABONDAGE PT 2
The media and pamphlets built up a frenzy about vagabonds travelling in huge packs and people were increasingly concerned, living in fear of them.
In reality, those arrested for this crime tended to be captured in small groups or travelling alone.
Reports of them speaking their own language are exaggerated and in reality this only really occurred in London.
The rise in numbers of vagabonds often happened during severe times of hardship, bad harvests and rising unemployment.
IMPACT OF REFORMATION ON HERESY
The change in religion fuelled a period of uncertainty as successive Monarchs changed the religion again.
Edward VI continued in his Father’s footsteps declaring England as a protestant country, but Mary I, a devout Catholic changed it back again.
During the reign of Mary I, heresy was a particular problem, one which she took very seriously.
During her 5 year reign, Mary burned 284 protestants at the stake for their beliefs.
WITCHCRAFT
Tensions between rich and poor had increased and again during times of hardship.
People who had previously been cared for, such as the elderly, were looked upon differently.
The common scenario was that an elderly neighbour might ask for help from a wealthier neighbour.
When refused, they would wander away muttering or mumbling.
Later on, if something bad happened to the wealthier person the blame would be attributed to the elderly person.
HERESY
This was a crime of religion, when you believe in a different religion to your Monarch.
WITCHCRAFT CONTINUED
The mumbles of the elderly woman would be taken to mean they were muttering spells to curse the neighbour for not providing assistance.
Often word then spreads around the village leading to many people accusing the poor elderly woman of witchcraft.
CHANGES IN PUNISHMENT DURING THE MODERN PERIOD
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation began in the 1660s. Convicts were initially taken to America.
They were transported on large wooden ships known as Hulks.
Once in America convicts often led lives in conditions similar to slavery, although this punishment was considered to be a soft option in comparison to the Death Penalty.
BLOODY CODE
The Bloody Code was introduced in 1723 when the number of crimes punishable by death increased to 50.
Minor crimes such as poaching, cutting down live trees or going out at night with a blackened face were given the punishment of execution.
By 1765, the figure had increased to 160 crimes.
By 1815, 225 crimes were punishable by death.
This explains the reason why this was known as the Bloody Code!
HOUSES OF CORRECTION
Houses of Correction were a new method of punishment from the 1500s which were designed to punish and reform criminals.
The accused were forced to do hard labour and sometimes they were whipped.
The idea was that they would learn the error of their ways.
PUNISHMENT DURING MODERN PERIOD
WHIPPING + FLOGGING
Whipping and flogging was a punishment that was once again used as public humiliation and also acted as a deterrent to others.
PRISONS
Prisons were still used to hold those that were in debt and those awaiting trial or execution.
STOCKS + PILLARIES
The stocks and pillory was still used as a method of public humiliation.
Often this was used for those that could not afford to pay a fine
TREASON
Treason resulted in the most serious punishment, hanging, drawing and quartering.
EARLY MODERN SOCIETY
KEY INDIVIDUALS
During the period there were some key individuals that had an impact on crimes.
The most notable being Robert Catesby and the Gunpowder Plotters.
Catesby, along with Guy Fawkes and others planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament to kill King James I and restore England to Catholicism.
Matthew Hopkins the self-declared Witchfinder General proceeded to hunt witches during the period 1645-1647, persecuting people and punishing those he accused, ultimately spreading fear of the crime of witchcraft.
GOV + LAW MAKERS
During this period the English Civil War (1642-49) was taking place.
This lead to many feeling that world had been ‘turned upside down’ as the monarchy was being challenged and Charles I was beheaded in 1649.
This period of friction between the King and Parliament resulted in England becoming a republic until the monarchy was restored in 1660.
The Civil War meant that many areas took the law into their own hands which lead to an increase in the numbers of people being accused of witchcraft and other crimes
WEALTH + POVERTY
The rising population saw a few become very wealthy.
On the other hand, the majority of the population grew less wealthy and often lived in poverty.
The large numbers of poor people sometimes resulted in an increase in crime.
Often, in reality, it was the fear of wealthy landowners which made crime seem more severe than it was.
The majority of people being so poor meant that they were vulnerable to any changes.
During times of poor harvest rising prices meant that people were unable to afford food and could lead to them turning to crime.
CHANGES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT DURING MODERN PERIOD
JUSTICES FOR THE PEACE
Justices of the Peace (JPs) became an important method of law enforcement during this period.
It was usually local wealthy people that took the position as it offered prestige.
The role enabled them to pass sentence on others, issuing fines, ordered people to be whipped or send them to the stocks and pillory.
CRIMES JPs DEALT WITH
JPs dealt with minor crimes on their own but four times each year they would meet up with other JPs for Quarter Sessions, where they would deal with more serious crimes.
At these sessions, the JPs had the power to sentence people to death
TOWN WATCHMEN
Town Watchmen were introduced to patrol the streets.
They patrolled during the day and the night and their role included the arrest and detention of vagabonds and drunks.
In reality, they were not particularly effective as they were poorly paid.
The role attracted people desperate for a job and as a result, those employed were often drunk on the job and faced ridicule.
THE ARMY
During this period the army also became a feature of law enforcement.
They were often used to stop riots and capture organised criminal gangs.
This method was particularly unpopular with ordinary people.
KEY INDIVIDUALS
ROBERT CATESBY + GUNPOWDER PLOTTERS
THE PLOTTERS
In total 13 plotters, including Guy Fawkes filled the basement under the Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder in order to complete their plan.
However, an anonymous letter was sent to a member of parliament, Lord Monteagle warning him not to attend the state opening of parliament in the coming weeks.
FOILING THE PLOT
The basement beneath Parliament was searched and Fawkes was arrested and tortured until he revealed the names of his fellow conspirators.
ROBERT CATESBY
Robert Catesby created a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament, kill King James I and replace him with a Catholic monarch.
PUNISHING THE PLOTTERS
The other plotters escaped but government soldiers tracked them down further north.
A number of the group were killed and the others returned to London for trial and were executed.
The plotters were hanged, drawn and quartered, the punishment for Treason.
This severe punishment was designed to send a clear message to others.
JAMES I
James I became King following the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.
Many Catholics hoped that they would be able to continue to worship freely, but there were members of James’ government that felt strongly anti-catholic.
Laws were tightened and life for Catholics became difficult as these new rules were enforced harshly.
MATHEW HOPKINS
TORTURING WITCHES
The suspects were often kept awake all night in order to exhaust them and obtain a confession.
Sometimes they were made to remain standing and other times they were forced to move around continuously.
FAMILIARS
If there was an animal found with the accused Hopkins claimed that was their ‘familiar’.
A familiar was considered to have been created by the Devil and worked for the witch.
The familiar then sucked the blood of the witch through any scars, spots, or birthmarks on the witch's body.
HOPKINS IN EAST ANGLIA
He proceeded to collect evidence against them.
Many were charged with using harmful magic against their neighbours, resulting in harm to animals or poor crop growth.
Hopkins began searching areas of East Anglia for witches, finding and naming 36 women.
WITCHCRAFT ACCUSATIONS
The increasing number of accusations by Hopkins led to fear of witches spreading and other villages called upon Hopkins to come and remove them of witches too. Hopkins, of course, was making quite a lot of money as a result.
The majority of accusations were made against women, but there are cases of men being ‘swum’ as witches too.
A local vicar was accused based on the fact that ‘Devil Marks’ were found in his mouth.
It would be possible that these were simply mouth ulcers, which was a sign of poor diet.
WITCHCRAFT
During the early modern period, witchcraft became a serious crime.
During the period of 1645-47, there was an unusual rise in the number of accusations made against witches.
One of the causal factors was Matthew Hopkins
HOPKINS DISAPPEARANCE
Hopkins is thought to have died in 1647. After this date, he was never seen again.
The cases of witchcraft in East Anglia reduced as a result.