The Punishments of the Medieval era

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The Punishments of the Medieval Era When Shakespeare was born in 1564, Queen Elizabeth had taken power a mere 6 years prior, and her justice system was very different from ours. In this paper, I hope to explore some of the ways punishments were different, such as how many crimes had individual punishments, often times depending on how severe the crime was. I will also go in-depth to one of the most infamous cases of the medieval period. Imprisonment was very rare. If you were in jail, you were there because you were on trial, and you weren’t allowed to return home. Trials were very brief and if you were charged of a felony or treason, you weren’t allowed to have a lawyer. Unsurprisingly, trials were quick, with extremely brutal punishments. One of these, referred to as “The Greatest Punishment”, involved the subject being hung until they are considered to be half dead, then quartered, or to be cut up into equal pieces, alive, have their organs cut out, and finally have their body be set on fire. Fortunately, this punishment was typically reserved for the worst offenders, as its name and the process that it’s carried out by imply. Several other punishments of the medieval period were also rather gruesome. If you were charged with treason, but you were a noble person otherwise, you were to be simply hanged and buried. If you committed murder, and were found guilty of attempted murder, you’d be tied up, near the scene of the crime and left to starve to death. If you were convicted of a successful murder, you’d be hung for a little while, have your hands cut off, and then led to where you’d be executed. Rouges were to be sent to the stockades and whipped, anyone who disturbed the peace were to be continuously du... ... middle of paper ... ...y appreciated. Her only request was to have more time to get ready, a request that was promptly shot down by the represenetives, saying that she must die at the exact time specified by Queen Elizabeth. Mary arrived at the room where she was to be hung, and all preparations for her execution were taken care of. Queen Elizabeth soon arrived in a rather casual manner. As the final steps were carried out, the various people around her offered her many options, such as ministers to offer her comfort, all of which Mary refused. Just before her death, Mary prayed for Britain and Scotland to convert to Catholicism. The executioners then began to remove her veil, head dress, and various other ornaments, while Mary attempted to fight back, wanting to wear these during her execution, however she was forced to remove them. Finally, after much preparation, Mary was dead.

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