Anglo-Saxon Legal System Quiz

Study Notes

Crime and Punishment is a change in continuity study, focusing on what has changed and what has stayed the same over time.
The period of the Anglo-Saxons is from 410 to 1066 A.D., with the Norman Invasion in 1066 being a crucial date.
Initially, after the Romans left in 400 A.D., there was lawlessness and blood feuds were common for settling grudges in Anglo-Saxon society.
Blood feuds were eventually replaced around 1000 A.D. by a system based on loyalty called tithings, where groups of men over 12 would be fined collectively if one committed a crime.
Anglo-Saxon society utilized a form of self-policing called hue and cry, where villagers were expected to join in catching criminals upon hearing an alarm raised.
Trial by jury, still used today, involved being tried by peers in a folk moot or hundred courts to determine guilt, with the option of oath helpers for the accused.
Trial by ordeal was a complex system where individuals would undergo tests like hot water or hot iron to determine guilt, based on the belief that God would reveal the truth.
The Anglo-Saxon system also included wear guilds, where fines were paid to victims of crimes, although the fines varied based on social status.
In the absence of police and prisons, punishments in Anglo-Saxon society were brutal and aimed at deterrence, including corporal punishment like mutilation and capital punishment such as hanging for serious crimes.

Description

Test your knowledge on the legal system of Anglo-Saxon society, including topics like blood feuds, tithings, trial by jury, trial by ordeal, wear guilds, and punishments. Explore the evolution of law enforcement and justice in early medieval England.