Rapid Revision: Anglo-Saxon Punishments

Law Enforcement in Saxon Society

• Hierarchy-Based Enforcement
  • Local towns (often boroughs) were centers of justice and trade.
  • The King decided laws and acted as a judge in significant cases.
  • Earls ensured laws were applied in their regions; they might also serve as judges.
  • Important lords appointed as shires or sheriffs to prosecute crimes, collect taxes and fines, and administer punishments.

Types of Punishment

Capital Punishment

• Involves execution, often by beheading or hanging.
• Used for serious crimes like treason and arson.
• Acts as a strong deterrent and a form of retribution.

Corporal Punishment

• Involves physical harm, such as cutting off body parts.
• Acts as a visible and dangerous deterrent.
• Sometimes led to death due to medical complications, e.g., infection.

Blood Feud

• Legal framework for revenge; families could avenge a murder by killing a perpetrator’s family member.
• Could lead to generational cycles of violence.

Wergild (Man Gold)

• A compensation system replacing blood feuds.
• Fines imposed for injuries or murders based on the victim's social status.
  • E.g., a prince might be worth 1,500 shillings.
• Considered preferable to blood feuds as it prevented cycles of violence.

Humiliation

• Used for minor crimes.
• Punishment through public humiliation using stocks or pillory.
• Criminals subjected to public scorn or rubbish thrown at them.

Categories of Crimes and Corresponding Punishments

Crimes Against the Person

• Murder: Could be met with wergild or harsher punishment if the victim was a social superior.
• Assault: Might result in compensation or wergild.
• Public Disorder: Punished by humiliation.

Crimes Against Property

• Arson: Treated severely with possible hanging.
• Coin Forging: Could lead to hand removal.
• Theft: Punishment could range from fines to maiming.

Crimes Against Authority

• Treason or Betrayal: Generally met with execution (hanging).

Summary Points

• Capital Punishment: Executing the convicted, often by hanging or beheading.
• Corporal Punishment: Injuring the convicted by maiming.
• Blood Feuds: A cycle of revenge that could lead to generational violence.
• Wergild: Fines paid as compensation instead of revenge murders.
• Humiliation: Public shaming for lesser crimes.

Additional Notes

• The lecture touched on how these punishments reflected the Saxon societal hierarchy and were meant to uphold social order.
• Reference to primary source: Textus Roffensis, containing laws and punishments from King Aethelbert’s reign.

Conclusion

• The lecture concluded with a note on the importance of these systems in maintaining justice and deterring crime in Anglo-Saxon society.