Nature of Punishment in the Medieval Period

Punishments were horrid during the Renaissance, so beware, if you are a scaredy cat stop right here- or get ready to scream from disgust, fear, or just because you feel like it. During the Renaissance, punishments had some sort of alliance to the crime. For example, according to Torture and Punishment, “The punishment for poisoning during this period was to be boiled to death. Mutilation and branding were also common. People often had their right hand cut off if they were caught stealing, and on certain occasions eyes were plucked out with hot pinchers and fingers were torn off.” If you can’t see the relation between these punishments, poisoning may feel like you’re burning, or you are choking. Therefore, boiling would be perfect (you are both

The delivery of punishment has changed significantly over the centuries. Up until the 19th century in England, imprisonment was not regarded as a punishment, it was merely used while the offender waited to be sentenced to their ‘real’ punishment (Bull, 2010; Hirst, 1998). Corporal punishment such as flogging, branding and mutilation, death by hanging, and transportation to other continents such as America and Australia were common punitive measures through the ages, until well into the 1800’s (Newburn, 2003). Although these extreme penalties are no longer acceptable or practised by criminal courts in England or Australia, in some ways, the past has

Having extreme, agonizing, punishments was not out of the ordinary during the 17th century. The punishments and crimes were very unsystematic, and often times very foul. There were punishments that were as minor as carting,and there were punishments as severe as the death penalty.Throughout the 17th century there were a variety of punishments for different crimes that were commited.

From 500CE until 1500CE was best known as the Medieval Ages. Medieval period began after the fall of the Roman Empire. In many parts of the Middle Ages significantly changed. Types of punishment and determination of guilt and innocence are examples of the continuity and change in the area of law and order.

The image below is a primary source of people being hung in the Middle Ages for murdering. The authors perspective is shown how he has drawn people hanging down while there are people watching them to show them not to do this. The viewpoint of the author is to say not to do this otherwise it will happen to you. The crowd around the punished people are there to show the seriousness of the punishments providing a warning and awareness of the consequences. It could lead to death and torture for the rest of their lives, this reflects to the authors point of view. Overall, Crimes and Punishments in the Middle Ages were very hard for people to escape. Authors presented a lot detail to show how life was strict back in the Middle Ages. Images that

The medieval ages had very different methods of crime and punishment they were a lot more brutal and many punishments for the crimes where causes of death for many people who weren’t even guilty. Even very small crimes like gossiping in medieval times had very brutal punishments. So make sure you never even gossip. Some of the simplest crimes would end in the most brutal way such as Theft, Hersey (thinking or saying something agents the church), Gossiping, Treason (plotting against or planning to over throw or kill the monarchy). The punishment well they are like something out of your nightmares gossiping: You would have to wear a scold's bridle, which would sometimes cut you if you tried to talk or ‘gossip’. Theft:

Crime and Punishment in the Elizabethan era was very unusual and cruel when we look at it from today’s standards. Punishment was very harsh and most things they did back then was completely normal for them but by today it’s insane what they used to do to criminals. Speaking of which whom they counted as “criminals” was insane as well as their definition of a criminal. The crimes committed directly affected the type of punishment someone one would receive for committing such an act. Crimes and punishments to us now seem completely wrong and just plain strange.

One of the many things that has been highly controversial and still is to this very day is how to properly punish and treat criminals. Here in America we now have the Eighth Amendment to protect us from cruel and unusual punishment. This was based off of a Parliament Act of 1689 that created England’s Bill of Rights. Before England had come up with the idea that humans should have guaranteed basic rights, it wasn’t a matter of whether or not a criminal would die, as much as it was a matter of how they would die. Torture devices such as the guillotine, the stake, the brazen bull, and the rack were used to spread the idea of fear and punishment that was ineffectually used by leaders to try and control their people throughout the history of Europe.

In the Elizabethan era, doing a crime was the worst mistake of all, depending on how big your crime was, people had to know that their lives were at risk. Every crime was big before, even “crimes of treason and offenses against the state were treated with that murder and rape today.”(Elizabethan Crime and Punishment) “Offenses such as manslaughter, robbery, rape, piracy and capital crimes entitled one to hanging, usually in the town square.” (Elizabethan crime and Punishment) During Queen Elizabeth’s time, the punishments were designed to fit the crime committed. A person may complain about the consequences of crimes one commits, but looking back at the Elizabethan times, punishments are far less brutal now than how they were then.

Such as perjury for perjury people were placed in stocks with their ears nailed “ most torture ended in physical maiming” (Langbrint 4). You could be tortured for Perjury, Adultery, bigamy, Manslaughter and so on but later on every punishment was replaced by hanging it was replaced around the 1820 with public hanging

The topic of crime has been booming in modern day news. Stories of “corrupt policemen” and sexual misconduct allegations have flooded social media and everyday conversation, but crime has always been a large aspect of society. However, modern day laws have been overall consistent for a long period of time. During the Elizabethan era, many new crimes and punishments were created by a growing development and knowledge. Accordingly, the evolution of law grew dramatically during the Elizabethan age.

5). The lethal punishments criminals took during this time seem unbearable to the punishments that are issued today, because it seems as almost people tried thinking of the most horrific ways to kill criminals. These people that decided on the types on punishment were “dealt by Justice of Peace” (Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England, par.2). The Judicial system often gave a swift and brutal decision, meaning it came fast and the punishment was awful. The Judicial System seemed to be unfair to the criminals, because they say there were brutal, and often didn’t care what punishment they gave. There were many reasons why the Judicial System used these punishments. These punishments were used to “punish a person for his crimes, intimidate him and the group to which he belongs, gather information, and/or obtain a confession” (Different Kinds of Elizabethan Era Torture, par. 3). This was smart, because it seemed to make since, and seem logical to send a message to other criminals that justice will be served. These punishments criminals received prevented further crimes in the future. During the Elizabethan Era, “torture was regularly practiced and as a result, the people were tamed and afraid and crimes were low in number” (Different Kinds of Elizabethan Era Torture, par. 11).

From the beginnings of civilization through the Post-Classical Period, many forms of governments emerged that developed many similarities and differences including similarities in criminal law and differences differences in human punishment.

The history of torture in Europe may seem at first to be a steady progression of barbarous tactics, leading from one social purge to the next, but this is not completely the case. Torture has been used in a progression from primitive methods to the present more modern styles. It has also developed extensively, both in severity and variety of methods used. But in the end, torture has gone full circle; modern forms of torture are more like those methods used by savages than anything in between. Overall, the severity of torture has fluctuated, growing and receding with the passing of each new time period, but eventually reverting to its original state.

They tortured people to gain confessions. The church handled all confessions, however could not witness the bloodshed that they caused to get the accused to confess. All punishments were vary physical two of the most infamous were the strappado and aselli. The strappado, meaning pulley, was a device containing ropes to strap a person down from their arms and legs and weights were attached on the ropes. The person would be raised and their body would stretch causing mass amounts of pain and sometimes-immediate death. The aselli was a water torment. A person would lie down and be drowned rapidity until it looked like their veins would explode.