Was there ever a time when people did not break the law? The Elizabethan Era was one of the most known periods of English history. Being known for its great success in change and discovery, it was also remembered for its violent and brutal times. A subject that many people were interested in from this era was the crime and punishment. As people looked back the crime and punishment of the era, there were three factors that stood out from the construction of its history. They were: the crimes that were committed, the people who committed them, and the punishments they received. From much research on Elizabethan crime, punishment, and people, researchers discovered that the crime and punishment during the era certainly was not ordinary and sometimes …show more content…
Crime varied according to class. Because the Upper class consisted of wealthy and educated people, their crime would often be in political scheme and matters of religion. Common crimes of the Upper class included: blasphemy, rebellion, and witchcraft. Until Queen Elizabeth, no one could be killed for witchcraft because it was not a capital offense ("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). Crimes of treason and offenses against the state were treated with the same harshness has murder("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). The type of crime committed depended on the person who committed it. Crimes committed by Commoners were through pure desperation and poverty. Common crimes committed by them included: theft, begging, and adultery ("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). It became a crime to be poor when the government passed Poor Laws. These laws were passed because the Queen was worried that the large numbers of unemployed homeless people would bring a threat to law and order("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). Not all poor people were the problem, it was the ones who were armed and roamed around the streets begging and stealing. The Elizabethan Era was a period of disorderly society, where even the smallest crime was punished with sizable pain by way of torture, and sometimes …show more content…
Criminals were not dealt with in private. They were displayed in towns and the middle of the marketplace for all the people to see. Many were witnessed by hundreds of people. Commoners treated punishment days as “exciting” days out("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). The crowds of people who gathered for the public punishments and executions could be considered twisted individuals. They relished these days. For example, theft resulted in public hanging for all of the people to watch. Often times crimes were falsely accused and the crowds knew it, but nothing could be done. Small crimes, such as stealing bird eggs would result in a death sentence. It was the terrible price starving people had to pay because the government made begging illegal("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). Many crimes resulted in brutal beatings. Beatings and executions were definitely not an issue, the only question was the type of beating a person would get or how they a would be executed("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). A lot of times the Upper class was exempt from punishment unless it was a serious crime. Unfortunately, the Commoners did not get that valuable treatment because they were almost always in trouble. With any evidence of relationships with evil spirits condemned a person to death by hanging, burning, or drowning. More punishments included: beheading, pressing, and the drunkard's cloak. The drunkard’s cloak was basically a big barrel
Crimes was mostly committed by the lower class, the ones who were poor and unable to work. The working class however were not thieves because they are able to afford the necessities of life. Highwaymen, murder, and theft of property were all common crimes committed by males unlike females whose crimes were infanticide, prostitution, and theft. The Ordinary of Newgate’s Account describes how “William Spiggot was indicted for four several Robberies on the High-Way, and found Guilty, with Thomas Cross otherwise Phillips, and William Burrows” (Ordinary’s Account, 4). As described in the lectures those offences were considered crimes without qualification because they were crimes with victims. Social crime was considered a victimless crime, and has no capital punishment tied to it. Highwaymen were hanged for their crimes because they robbed on the King’s highway and that was considered a capital crime. Crimes committed by people like Ethrinton Wrathan who “was condemned…for breaking open the Warehouse of John Hide, Esq; and taking thence 1080 Yards of Sail-Cloth, value £90.” (Ordinary’s Account, 4) This offence was punishable by death due to the reason that any crime over a shilling was a capital crime. Crime was considered a bad path to go on due to the reason that it was easy to commit crime again once that path was
In the Elizabethan Era, many crimes were similar to today, but there were also some that have dissipated today. In the upper class, composed of the nobles, were mostly accused of crimes that involved religion and government. This included, but was not limited to: alchemy, high treason, blasphemy, and witchcraft. Alchemy is the magic power of turning things of little value into valuable items, closely related to witchcraft. On the other side of the social spectrum, lower class people usually committed crimes out of utter desperation. Commoners would often have to beg for food and money just to make it through. However, begging was taken very seriously at the time and a very punishable crime. Other punishable crimes could include adultery and being in debt to another individual (Law and Punishment- Travel Through Elizabethan England). Obviously common crimes like theft, murder, and assault were taken very serious...
It was often the case, that suspects were locked into gaols, until court was held. If it happened in smaller towns, the citizens had to act as gaolers and furthermore had to feed their prisoners. Therefore they did not guard their captives very careful, which led to a lot of breakouts. That could have had financial consequences for the citizens, but they did not bother at all, because the costs in loss of working time and in feeding the prisoners were balanced by the feeling that these fines were an unavoidable form of taxation. Now the criminals tried to escape to the next churchyard, because there they could claim sanctuary. If they were successful, they could stay there in safety for the next forty days.
In 1563, in London alone over 20,000 people died of diseases.The punishments that women faced if they gossiped too much was a pillory, paraded around town, and was whipped until death. In the Elizabethan Era England was split into two classes which was upper class and lower class(Phillip Stubbles 1) . The upper class was really wealthy and royal and had a lot of power to get people
In February, 1587, Queen Elizabeth had ordered her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scotts, to her execution to eliminate all possibilities of any threats to her throne. This event would reflect the relentless violence and unforgiving punishments of the judicial system in Elizabethan Era. Criminals during Queen Elizabeth’s reign in England, known as the Elizabethan Era, were subject to harsh, violent punishments for their crimes. England was separated into two social classes, which were the nobility, and the commoners. Within each class, the punishments were defined by the class and type of crime that had been committed. Under the Tudor rule, the punishments dating back to the middle ages were revived. Such gruesome punishments were carried out to strike fear into the hearts of the English citizens and lower crime rate. There were a wide range of crimes that a person could be prosecuted for, and even included the act of witchcraft and alchemy. Of course, today the American court system would find prosecutions of witchcraft and alchemy ridiculous. However, in the Elizabethan Era, people accused of even the most petty of crimes would be immediately placed in prison to await their sentences, often resulting in death. Public executions were a common practice, and were often a form of entertainment for a crowd of spectators. Often considered as the “Golden Age” in English history, England’s court systems became an essential part of society because cruel punishments were severe enough to strike fear into English citizens as well as demonstrating the influence and power of Queen Elizabeth’s rule.
Today some people can get away with just about any small crime with no punishments, but in the Elizabethan era you'd think twice before committing a crime. For stealing fruit in the Elizabethan era you can lose your hand. Today you would get community service or some other small punishment. The punishment you were given had to do with the crime, your wealth, and who you were connected to.
The Middle Ages lasted approximately 1,000 years, from the 5th to 15th century. The early part of the Middle Ages is also known as the Dark Ages. The Middle Ages has many nicknames including the Golden Ages and Medieval Times. One of the most accurate nicknames for the Middle Ages is, the Age of Faith. When one thinks of the Golden Ages, famine, plague, economic depression, crusades, disease, bloody wars, Vikings, persecution, and torture all come to mind. Torture during the Medieval Times was viewed differently than it is viewed today. Today, torture is viewed as cruel, inhuman, and degrading. In the U.S. torture is illegal but is sometimes used by the CIA and correctional facilities without public acknowledgement. As Schild said, “ In general, there are many indication that the people living at the time did not perceive the brutality of execution in the same way we would perceive it today, because they were filled with a deep sense of sin and thus were open to torture” (Thedeus).
Between the years of 1714 and 1799 the rate of theft in London increased for many reasons. The method of research use to prove this hypothesis was Old Bailey online. Old Bailey is a court in the city of London in the county of Middlesex. The court is held eight times a year for the trial of prisoners; the crimes tried in this court are high and petty treason, petty larceny, murder, felony, burglary, etc. The goal of this paper is to prove that not only did theft increase, but also why it increased. My preliminary findings suggest that overall theft did increase, and that the main causes for this were: political, economical, and social problems.
In contrast the medieval times we in modern ages commit different crimes than the medieval ages. These crimes include drug related offences, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, assault on another person or animal, vandalism to public or private areas , domestic violence and weapon violation by having illegal weapons . Trivial offences committed today often get a warning or go unreported unlike the medieval times. Generally the punishments during this period were extremely cruel and barbaric
According to Jones, modern estimates suggest perhaps 100,000 trials took place between 1450 and 1750, with an estimated execution total ranging between 40,000 and 50,000. This death toll was so great because capital punishment was the most popular and harshest punishment for being accused of witchcraft. Fear of the unknown was used to justify the Puritans contradictive actions of execution. Witch trials were popular in this time period because of religious influences, manipulation through fear, and the frightening aspects of witchcraft.
"Today's system, where imprisonment is a common penalty for most crimes, is a historical newcomer." Many crimes during 1718 and 1776 were punishable by death. This was usually done by hanging, sometimes by stoning, breaking on the rack and burning at the stake. Towards the end of the 1700's people realized that cruel punishment did little to reduce crime and their society was changing the population grew and people started to move around more frequently. There had to be a search for new punishments. "New punishments were to rely heavily on new ideas imported from Europe in the writing of such social thinkers of the Enlightenment as the baron de Montesquieu, Voltaire, Thomas Pain and Cesare Beccaria". These thinkers came to believe that criminals could be rehabilitated."
Anything that was slightly considered a bad thing of that time was considered a crime. Even writers of the Medieval era would write about the crimes of that era. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote
The aim of this lesson will be to develop students understanding of crime and punishment in Medieval Europe. As outlined in AUSVELS, this will include investigating different kinds of crime and punishment utilised and the ways the nature of crime and punishment has either stayed the same throughout history, or changed over time.
The Classical School of criminology was founded by "European legal authorities that thought crime was caused by supernatural forces" (DeKeseredy & Schwartz, 1996, p.155) preceding the 1700's. The catch phrase "The devil made him do it" was very popular because of the thought that people who committed crimes were sinners or people who didn't follow God. Those who didn't follow God were known as heretics and this following led to the connection of church and state where torture or execution could happen to anyone that the government thought to be evil or a part of witchcraft. Since the Middle Ages didn't have equal rights for all, women and the poor were usually the ones being prosecuted. With all of the problems of the times, the government found and made scapegoats out of these people, and blamed them of the troubles that were occurring. As DeKeseredy and Schwartz (1996, p.156) stated, "the most common way of determining guilt was through torture. It was a simple system: if you confessed, you were executed: is you did not confess, the torture continued until you died." This system of killing people was a well-respected way of running the criminal justice system. As time passed, the punishments turned away from inflicting pain on the body and turned more towards inflicting pain on the soul. This meant that imprisonment of long periods of time was going to take place of executions.
Punishing the unlawful, undesirable and deviant members of society is an aspect of criminal justice that has experienced a variety of transformations throughout history. Although the concept of retribution has remained a constant (the idea that the law breaker must somehow pay his/her debt to society), the methods used to enforce and achieve that retribution has changed a great deal. The growth and development of society along with an underlying, perpetual fear of crime are heavily linked to the use of vastly different forms of punishment that have ranged from public executions, forced labor, penal welfarism and popular punitivism over the course of only a few hundred years.