in the medieval times, why did people get punished?

Question

what were some of the reasons people got punished in the medieval times?

Answer 1

Usually for things like stealing, failing to honor the sabbath, poaching on the king's deer, committing adultery, missing debt payments, or failing to pay taxes.

If they didn't hang you they would usually throw you in a really bad dungeon (rats, cold, chains, abuse) and often forget about letting you out. If you had some skills of interest you could become an indentured servant (slave) and perform work for the king's household.

If they needed some foot soldiers for a war or a crusade you might get out to go die in a battle for the king's glory.

Answer 2

There were different punishments, not just hanging. In medieval England, a distinction was made between 'petty larceny' (the theft of low-value items) and 'grand larceny'. The latter was a hanging offence, whereas the former might involve either a fine, exile, or even just an hour in the stocks. Assaults (which happened as often as they do now) tended to result in a fine; the accused would pay it straight away then return home, or languish in jail until he could come up with the money. If the victim of an assult died shortly afterwards (without modern medicine, they often did), then the aggressor might be tried for murder. In these situations, however, they usually ran away and escaped justice. Those who fled trial were 'outlawed', which meant that they were outside the protection of the law. In other words, they could be killed on sight by anyone. A wanted criminal could 'claim sanctuary' - that is, hide in a church or abbey for a certain length of time. Some gangs set up their bases on church grounds, knowing that the authorities couldn't get to them. Generally speaking, petty crimes were punished with fines, and they were a good source of revenue for the government. There was no proper police force back then (apart from the sheriff), so it was up to the local community to make sure wrongdoers in their neighbourhood were brought to justice. Torture was not a form of punishment but a method to extract a confession from those who refused to talk at trial. There were no fixed prison sentences, either. Prisoners were kept in jail until they paid their fine, so those with no money might not ever see the light of day!

Answer 3

Ignorance and fear.

The Church was very influencial at that time and was even in charge of the govt. People were punished and killed for many things that would make you blink today.

If someone used home remedies (as was all they had back then), they would be tortured and killed (via many inhumane ways) for being a witch. The same would happen if you were not heterosexual.

A woman could be tortured and killed for being a witch simply due to the fact that she had a clitoris which was said to be of the devil.

You could also be punished if you didn't believe in the Church's teachings at all and made that public.

There were many other reasons as well. The torture methods back then were *shudder*. What we have today as punishment methods, in this country anyway, are very humane and civilized compared to what they had back then.

Answer 4

In medieval times one could fall foul of both church and state. Debtors were thrown in prison. It was a crime not to pay church tithes. Heresy charges could ultimately be brought against free thinkers or those who regularly failed to attend church on a Sunday. Failure to obey a liege lord could, on the right occasion, be a crime. Obviously all this would be on top of the what is widely agreed upon as criminal behaviour.

In response to another of the replies, there was some understanding of the mentally ill, as long as the signs were obvious and not borderline. It was about this period when the stories of the "ship of fools" came into being, reflecting what work the mentally disordered could hope for, such as the most menial forms of ferryman. Sometimes gangs of the mentally ill, turned out of their own communities, could be found roaming the countryside. They were given alms or left alone if they were harmless.

Answer 5

I think when it comes to the Middle Ages, is like dealing with another world. Is not called the dark ages for nothing. Ignorance was everywhere and so the belief in the supernatural. It was also their belief, that if you didn't serve the church and your lord (King. Duke, etc) you were going to be punished by God. Just speaking their minds was something that was punishable by death. There was a court system, in this time period but don't expect any justice from it.

Answer 6

Medieval Punishment – Law and Order of the Middle Ages
http://www.medieval-castle-siege-weapons.com/medieval-punishment.html

Medieval Punishment/Torture
http://www.fidnet.com/~kawlaw/medieval.html

Medieval Law and Order
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_law_and_order.htm
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/apologia/vpost?id=1289774
hope this helps :)

Answer 7

Mainly through ignorance in my opinion. If people were a bit different they were classed and witches and the like and therefore punished accordingly. Also there were punishments for stealing or being in debt.

Answer 8

Not just in Medieval times, any time you do something anti-social, you'll get punished.

Answer 9

I think some of these punishments need re-introducingt here in the UK, bring a bit of civil order back to our scumbag riddled streets.

Answer 10

Most of the same reasons we do now. With a little more extremes, like the burning of anyone labelled a witch.