Gruesome Punishments in the Middle Ages

Froissart_Chronicles,_execution

 

Froissart Chronicles,

Execution by Unknown Artist

Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons 

Dear Year 8,

Even a civilised, progressive group of students like you is likely to find the foul and grisly punishments of the medieval period intriguing. I expect you to be torn between revulsion and a certain macabre fascination. Today’s task is merely an in-class exploration task, not an assignment.

My Summary:

During the Middle Ages, punishments were harsh, humiliation common and mercy rare.

In this period, people invented gruesome instruments of torture. The methods for establishing guilt were often warped by superstition and prejudice; the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” had not yet become an accepted pillar of the legal system. Once accused, the onus was often placed on a person to “prove” his or her innocence, sometimes by undergoing painful or life-threatening ordeals.

Even for mild crimes, cruel public humiliations were quite common. This was the time when people could be placed in the stocks or the pillory or forced to walk around the town with the evidence of their crimes displayed graphically on their person.

The punishments for women in particular reveal their inequality of status in a male-dominated, violent society.

The links below will introduce you to some of the spine-chilling punishments of the era.

Crime and punishment in the Middle Ages – overview

Medieval Crime and Justice Museum in Rothenburg – Use the pictures to search for details about each device, primary source or piece of evidence

Ten medieval torture devices from How Stuff Works

Distressing instruments of medieval torture

The treatment of women accused of witchcraft in the Middle Ages

Your Task:

Set out your research as shown below. You may need two A4 pages or two slides to fit the information. Your explanation and analysis should employ phrases like these:

  • This punishment indicates that…
  • This evidence from the medieval period demonstrates that…
  • The use of this punishment was intended as…
  • This barbarous implement of torture provides evidence that…

Medieval Punishment

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