0
Today we tend to think of the Middle Ages as a time when laws were cruel and unjust. There were times and places of the Middle Ages when this was true, but there were also many times and places where it was not. The legal codes of the Early Middle Ages were very often based on the concept of compensation for the victim, so a thief might be required to repay the value of the thing stolen three times over. In fact, in Wales there were laws to the effect that if a person was caught with stolen food, but could show that he had unsuccessfully begged for food at a number of houses, he would not be prosecuted.
There were times when an adequate defense for an accused crime that was not absolutely proven was swearing an oath of innocence and finding a dozen people who would swear they believed you.
In most places, during the Middle Ages, the clergy were not tried in secular courts, but in Church courts. The question of who was clergy was a bit complicated, because monks were not ordained. Eventually it was decided that anyone who could read was to be tried in a Church court. The Church did not allow torture, gave lenient sentences to those who confessed their sins, and provided better prisons than the secular system did.
In most places, a fugitive could appeal to a church or monastery for asylum. Though asylum was often granted only for a limited time if a person was accused of a serious crime, there were abbeys whose charters said that no one could be removed for any reason, even by agents of the King. Isabella of Angoulême, who had formed a conspiracy to murder King Louis IX of France, escaped to a Fontevraud Abbey, where she had permanent sanctuary and later died of natural causes.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Which leader of the middle ages believed in justice?
cake
Could butchers be wealthy in the middle ages?
yes sometimes
What was a explorers in a Middle Ages?
There was no explorers in the middle ages. When exploration started that is when the middle ages ended.
What period of time preceded the Middle Ages and what time period came after the Middle Ages?
Before the middle ages was Anquity (Greeks and Romans) and after the middle ages was the Renissance
Words that start with z from the middle ages?
Zweihander could be one.
Which leader of the middle ages believed in justice?
cake
Which leader in the middle ages believed in justice?
pizza pie
Could you get away with crimes in the middle ages?
No.
Could a Lord be a Knight in the Middle Ages?
no
What time period could be considered an alternative for the dark ages?
The middle ages.
How did scienctists reach there conclusions during the middle ages?
There are many ways in which a scientist could reach their conclusion during the middle ages. They could just observe.
Was spitting at the table acceptable in the middle ages?
yes in the middle ages you could spit out food and give it to someone else
How did the middle ages react to individuals who broke the law?
In the middle ages, if an individual broke the law, they could be tortured and excommunicated.
What group from the Middle Ages could be compared to the Romans?
None. They are two different ages and times.
What did they write with in the Middle Ages?
mainly people couldn't read or write in the middle ages but those who could would use a quill pen
What is the history of baking during the middle ages?
The history of baking in the middle ages started with mothers and daughters then became a profession with rules and a paycheck, in the middle ages Bakers could also be millers.Hope this helps anyone
Could butchers be wealthy in the middle ages?
yes sometimes
