If the mark did not bleed or hurt when pricked with a pin, people believed the devil had magically caused it” (Wilson, pg.34). This tactic sharing similarities with evidence gathered for the Stamford witch trial, both in which were unfair in both cases. Another form of evidence used in the court was “Ducking” this tactic involved binding the suspects and then throwing them into a body of water; if the suspect sank the suspect was innocent; if the suspect floated, that meant the water had rejected their bodies as unholy and so they were found guilty. These forms of evidence showed unfairness on behalf of the two suspects, neither of the outcomes can be helped. Luckily the
In Jeff Jacoby’s “Bring Back Flogging,” he compares the punishments for crimes in the 17th Century to the punishments for crimes in the present. Jacoby suggests in his essay that “the Puritans were more enlightened than we think, at least on the subject of punishment. Their sanctions were humiliating and painful, but quick and cheap.” Jacoby makes a good argument to bring back an old punishment policy. He points out that “a humiliating and painful paddling can be applied to the rear end of a crook for a lot less than $30,000 (per year).”
The fourth was spectral evidence, in which if anyone saw a ghost or a spirit in the accused individual, than the person must be a witch. This was evidence because Puritans believed that the devil could not take form in any unwilling person. The final type of evidence was the confession, which was usually the only way out. If a person confessed, even if they thought they were innocent, then they would promise repentance, and a person who confessed was never convicted (Witchcraft in Salem,
The retribution for the civilizations actions was especially strident. Execution, in various ways, was the preeminent penalty for most wrong doing. Amputation was also a penalty for breaking laws that occurred often. Some of the laws punished people for things they could not control.
Someone who lied or insulted another person had to pay a considerable fine. A man in Virginia vehemently ridiculed the governor. He had his tongue pierced, and then the authorities banished him from the neighborhood. The hostile colonists aimed for criminal punishments to mortify the offenders. Instead of placing convicts in jail, they would often be whipped publicly or have the name of the offense burned onto one of their hands.
The punishment was usually inflicted for several hours, an hour at a time.” (Source 2, History- punishments and executions)
Did you know that for stealing a purse you could have your limbs torn off?During the Elizabethan period, there would be crimes committed followed by punishments. These crimes are most not like the crimes today. Some include stole purses, begging, and poaching. Now you're probably wondering, what such crimes must those be? Money wasn't much easy to get back then so people tried to steal and be able to feed their families.
Capital punishment was included in the Dale’s Laws; it was mandated for almost two dozen offenses, including repeated blasphemy, unlicensed trading with the Indian tribes, stealing boats, embezzlement, unlicensed killing of cattle, and the destruction of crops. Punishments for minor violations were barbaric under the military courts, with accounts of individuals being burned at the stake, broken on the wheel, and bound to a tree with a bodkin thrust through the tongue and left to starve to death. For committing a petty crime, you were shamed in front of the public, exhibitory punishment, and hanging. Finally, the most frequent offenses committed by women included “bad speeches” or verbal
1. Before the rise of imprisonment there were a number of alternatives to incarceration that were being used. These alternatives include; flogging, which is historically, the most widely used of physical punishment. The bible mentions instances of whipping, and Christ himself was scourged. Whipping was widely used in England throughout the Middle Ages, and some offenders were said to have been beaten as they ran through the streets, hands tied behind their backs.
These accusations ended up overwhelming Abigail to the point that she ran away, showing that suffering causes more
(Carleton 5) Although the punishments were not as obvious or as intense as the punishments during the Salem witch trials, they nonetheless affected the lives of the people involved
The so-called witches would get tortured, harshly, until they said that they said that they were witches. Besides being tortured as a punishment, there were times, where these people would get thrown in jail, killed, and be exiled from a certain place. In the mid- 1600s, outside of Europe, in the American colonies, they had the same punishments towards people who’d get blamed for being a witch. The Thirty Years War in 1618, began mainly because of religious problems. This was a war between the Catholic religion and the Protestant religion of Europe in the breaking of the Holy Roman Empire.
This essay will mention some of the crimes and punishments; it will also explain the differences between the medieval times and the modern times. Crime Crimes for people to commit in the Medieval times was easier for people to commit than. Most of the crimes were very so unnecessary that even lighting a fire can cause big times. Some of the crimes committed in the Medieval times were Theft which means to steal something from another person, Arson which means to light fire in public, Witchcraft means to practise magic such as black magic and a use of spells, Heresay/blasphemy means disrespect towards god because in the Medieval times they looked up to god a lot and they would make big discussions by asking god in a way people would not know. Treason which is traitor to the crown (king), Vagrancy means homelessness which in the medieval times was very common for people that work or the king such as peasants.
Multiple accused individuals died while they were in prison, due to the terrible conditions. During the time of imprisonment the accused people were said to have been tortured and even denied water to try and get them to confess to being witches. One common story that is spoken with the Salem Witch Trials really shows how far they went with the situation. That story involves a man named Giles Corey, who was accused of being a witch, but unlike the others he refused to plead in any way. In an effort to get him to talk, Corey was forced to remove his clothes and lay flat on his back where they began to place large rocks on top of his body.
Crime and Punishment in the Medieval Period The Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from 476 CE to the 1453 CE. It began with the fall of the Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is divided into three main periods, the Dark Ages, the High Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages. To a significant extent the nature of crime and punishment, it was very different between social classes during the Medieval Period. This can be seen through the significant groups that were involved in medieval crime and punishment, the effects of a person’s social class on crime and punishment and the punishments given out to different social classes between the Medieval Period and today.
