EM- Crime

Early Modern Crime

CONTINUITY: Crime

• petty theft highest proportion of crimes committed

• 15% of violent crime in 1600 violent

• crimes against authority still seen as most serious

crimes

• heresy

• vagabonds/vagrants

• rural crimes- poaching

• Cromwell's laws

• smuggling

• witchcraft

whats heresy

crime of holding a set of religious beliefs different to those of the established religion at the time

CONTINUITY: heresy

already a crime in Medieval

how was heresy linked to idea of treason

• Henry VIII changed religion and founded CofE, of which he was in charge

• this linked the monarch and religion, meaning that if you challenged the monarch you also challenged God

how many heretics were killed during the Tudor period

371

punishment for heresy

burnt at stake

CONTINUITY: burning at stake

continuity from later Middle Ages law in 1401

why were heretics burned

• intended to purify a corrupt soul

• done in public to deter others

what is recanting

• publicly stating that they had change their beliefs; they did this to avoid punishment

• public display that involved carrying wooden sticks to the place where their burning would've taken place

• these sticks then burned

result of heresy on religious views

• damage to authority: monarchs kept changing religion, leaving the population angry

• church: black death; religious people still died even if honourable so loss of faith

• parliament: voted by people instead of monarch chose by God

what crime type is vagabondage

• person- vagrants would commit small crimes against people

• property- they would steal to get by

• authority- vagrants go against the societal structure; rich see them as a threat

attitudes towards vagrancy

• negative:

• authority- vagrants go against the societal structure; rich see them as a threat

• committed crimes against people

• laws made to help stop them puts in neg view

punishment for vagrancy

• if without work for 3 days, branded with 'V' and put to work as a slave for two years

• laws made to help stop them puts in neg view

• burning the ear

• using hot iron

causes for increased vagabondage

• printing press

• growing population

• government

what laws were made against vagrants and year

• 1547- Vagrancy Act

• 1597- Act for the Relief of the Poor

• 1601- Poor Laws

vagrancy act

if without work for more than three days, branded with V and set as slave for 2 years

act for the relief of the poor

hard punishments for vagrants to act as deterrent

poor laws

aimed to make dealing with vagrants more consistent; parishes had to provide poor relief to anybody not physically able to work; undeserved poor punished severely

how was printing press a factor for change of vagabondage

• printed pamphlets about vagrants, reflecting negative views

• contained written text and images so all of society could understand them

• contained exaggerated stories to increase fear

how is growing population a factor for the change of vagabondage

more people, more vagabonds- less jobs due to so many people

laws against poaching and when

1671 Game Act- made hunting and fishing on enclosed land illegal

consequences of poaching law

• caused many people to leave village to search for work

• hard to stamp out poaching due to its status as social crime

• men got together in gangs

CONTINUITY: poaching

William I Forest Laws- did the same thing

CHANGE: poaching

power of king- Forest Laws were introduced by the king for the king, the Game Act was introduced by parliament

factors for the change of poaching

• rich people wanted more money from their land

• role of gov- gov passed the Game Act

what did Cromwell make illegal in the 1650's

• gathering to do sports

• gathering for celebrations including food and alcohol and feasting

• games at Christmas banned

• decriminalised recusancy

CHANGE AND CONTINUITY: Cromwell's Laws

religious change due to Cromwell becoming protector; reversed under Charles so goes back to CONTINUITY

factors for the change of Cromwell's laws in 1650s

• role of gov

• role of religion- he was protestant and these beliefs made him ban many things that go against this and make everyone protestant

what did government introduce that caused smuggling and when

17th century- introduced import tax on goods including alcohol and tea

why was smuggling law hard to enforce

• many people benefitted from it

• a social crime

CHANGE: smuggling

• previously no import duties so people could always transport goods legally, however this new introduction gave people the option of smuggling

• NEW CRIME

• caused by government

factors for the change of smuggling

• economic changes

• population growth

• role of government

how was economic change a factor for smuggling

government wanted more money so import tax introduced, meaning people had to pay to transport goods, so turned to smuggling

how was population growth a factor for smuggling

more people, more goods being imported and more people buying and selling things, and the gov saw this as an opportunity for profit

CHANGE: witchcraft

• previously not a thing and therefore not a crime

• new ideologies emerged that witches were real and dangerous and therefore NEW CRIME

new ideologies emerged that witches were real and dangerous and therefore NEW CRIME