Crime And Punishment In The Elizabethan Era

546 Words2 Pages

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.

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
“Crime was met with violent, cruel punishments.” For something as simple as stealing an apple a commoner would lose their hand. They did this for embarrassment. If someone saw them with one hand, they would know you had stolen. “Many executions were witnessed by hundreds of people.” An execution only happened if a threat was made on royals or murder. An execution day was many commoners favorite day. They got the whole day off of work. On these days the whole town would gather and watch as the criminal got his head chopped off. Everything in this time had more painful punishments, but not because of their lack of technology; but because the leaders wanted you to learn your lesson. If someone lost a hand for stealing, they would most likely not do it again.

Where as a commoner would lose their hand for stealing, a noble would only be placed in a pillory. This was also used for embarrassment, but unlike losing a hand it was not permanent. Many nobles had leeway with most crimes they did. For many reasons. Unlike a commoner, a noble could buy there way out of many punishment. Even if they couldn't buy their way out of a punishment they would get less painful punishments. Even in the case of an execution. Nobles would most likely have been beheaded for a murder. A commoner would be

Essay On Food In The Elizabethan Era
542 Words | 2 Pages
During the Elizabethan Era people ate a lot of different foods. They ate all kinds of freshwater fish and sea-fish. The poor people may have had humble and unvaried diets consisting largely of bread, fish, cheese, and ale. Some vegetables and fruits were regarded with some suspicions about them. The people thought that it was far more common for roasted and boiled meat to be eaten with bread.
Read More
Elizabethan Crime and Punishment
811 Words | 2 Pages
...ments. Through the public humiliation of hundreds of criminals, public squares became lively areas full of excitement and joy. Even if it did not effectively deter crime, the cruel and unusual punishments of the Elizabethan Era helped citizens keep occupied. When punishments were not deadly, they were still painful enough to strike fear into the citizens of England. Obviously, the Elizabethan Era was a very violent time in England.
Read More
Bubonic Plague In The Elizabethan Era Essay
698 Words | 2 Pages
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
Read More
Crime and Punishment in the Elizabethan Era
1767 Words | 4 Pages
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.
Read More
Elizabethan Era Punishment
878 Words | 2 Pages
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
Read More
Essay On Crimes In The Elizabethan Era
1203 Words | 3 Pages
"During the Elizabethan era, crimes of treason and offenses against the state were treated with the same severity that murder is today” (Beyer 1). Some crimes in the Elizabethan era wouldn’t even be considered crimes today. Punishments were extreme. Minor crimes such as begging would result in public beating until they ran to the town’s border. If any simple crimes were repeated they would be sent to jail, or possibly hung. On the other hand, those who committed extreme crimes wouldn’t be considered for jail. Depending on what time the activity was committed, it could be considered a crime. “Punishment for poaching crimes differed according to when the crime was committed - Poaching at night resulted in the punishment by death, whereas poaching during the day time did not.” (“Elizabethan Crime and Punishment” 1) . Elizabethans would cautiously watch their activities, as they knew any simple wrongdoing could be considered for capital punishment.
Read More
Punishment In The Middle Ages
673 Words | 2 Pages
People were even punished harshly for trivial crimes such as stealing a loaf of bread. . This was considered a serious offence in this time period. These crimes were mainly executed people who had no job. So they resorted to these crimes to get a pay.
Read More
Katherine Watkins Vs Common Law
1154 Words | 3 Pages
In colonial America, the court structure was quite different from that of their mother country, Great Britain. The system was a triangle of overlapping courts and common law. Common law was largely influenced by the moral code from the King James Version of the Bible, also known as moral law. In effect, these early American societies were theocratic and autocratic containing religious leaders, as well as magistrates. Sometimes these men were even one and the same. The criminal acts in colonial America were actually very similar to the crime prevalent in our society today. However, certain infractions were taken more seriously. Through the documents provided, we get a look at different crimes and their subsequent punishments in colonial
Read More
Daily Life And Holidays During The Elizabethan Era
504 Words | 2 Pages
The Elizabethan Era was a Golden Age for the English people during the late 1500s and early 1600s. This time period is referred to as the English Renaissance because new ideas were introduced to Elizabethan daily life. People enjoyed learning; they enjoyed art, culture, music, and food. The people also enjoyed celebrating many customs and festivals. These celebrations became a major part of daily life, and there were many customs to celebrate.
Read More
Prison Reform In America
1883 Words | 4 Pages
"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."
Read More
The Effectiveness Of Punishment In Medieval Times
1378 Words | 3 Pages
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
Read More
Crime and Punishment in Medieval Europe
1021 Words | 3 Pages
The lesson is situated in the fourth week, and is the eleventh and second last lesson in the unit outline.
Read More
Crime and Punishment in the Elizabethan Age
755 Words | 2 Pages
As you can see the Elizabethan Age was very strict on crimes and punishments. No one got away with a crime without being severely punished. After researching crime and punishment, I was surprised that they had many crimes because of the severity of their punishments. However, even with the cruel punishments they received, it didn’t stop many of them until the Transportation Act of 1718 was put in place, and really took control over the crimes that were happening. Although, you can’t go back and experience the Elizabethan Age, by reading this you can experience what had happened when the felons had caused crimes.
Read More
Fashion During the Elizabethan Era
1239 Words | 3 Pages
Have you ever wondered what people in the Elizabethan Era wore? Fashion was just as important in those days as it is to some people today. What people were wearing mattered to others, and even the government. During the Elizabethan Era clothing, accessories, and cosmetics were all a part of daily life.
Read More
Social Stratification And Social Class
1029 Words | 3 Pages
The commoners were the masses. They spent their lives engaged in hard physical labor, with virtually no chance of moving up in society.
Read More

Open Document

Wait a second!

Crime And Punishment In The Elizabethan Era

Essay On Food In The Elizabethan Era

Elizabethan Crime and Punishment

Bubonic Plague In The Elizabethan Era Essay