Crime and Punishment
How did the community catch criminals without a police force?
With A Hue & Cue
Who owned all the land in the feudal system?
the King owned all the land
What was the "tithing" system?
a mandatory 10% tax levied by the Church on agricultural produce and income.
What was the role of a knight?
Knights were professional, armored warriors who served as the military backbone of the kingdom.
Punishments were highly focused on deterrence and retribution. While minor crimes were often handled with fines, repeat offenders or serious thieves faced mutilation (such as cutting off an ear, hand, or nose) to prevent them from re-offending, or execution by hanging
What is "Trial by Ordeal"?
Before modern courts existed, innocence or guilt was often determined by putting the accused through a painful or physically taxing test, believing that God would protect the innocent. Examples included Trial by Fire (holding a hot iron) or Trial by Water (being thrown into a river to see if the water accepted or rejected them)
What kinds of cases did Church Courts handle?
The Catholic Church had its own separate court system. Church courts handled "moral crimes" (such as gambling, adultery, drunkenness, or failing to attend church), and provided special legal privileges (known as "benefit of clergy") to those who could prove they were members of the clergy