The Ordeal of Bread and Cheese: A Trial Like No Other
By Andrea Maraschi Although their origins were older, ordeals were still practiced in medieval Europe. Usually, they were aimed at verifying an individual’s…
“Monkey hangers”, Cockatrices, and Murderous Pigs: Animal Trials in the Middle Ages
The list of wrongdoings was long, ranging from crop damage to harm to an individual, and was dealt with in a variety of ways.
Medieval Legal Dramas? Justice in Icelandic Sagas
Examining Icelandic justice through the legal stories found in Njal’s Saga.
Body Language and the Modern Medieval Courtroom
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle reflects on medieval court cases, body language, and the ways in which both have shaped today’s modern trials – including the celebrity ones.
The Past and Present of Abortion in Medieval Law
Abortion is once again in the spotlight in the United States, as its Supreme Court is set to uphold a law limiting this right. How do medieval laws and views on abortion play a role in this issue?
The Right to Bear Arms and Medieval Law
Medieval history is once again in the news thanks to a Supreme Court case concerning New York State’s policy towards concealed-carry permits
Mutilation as Gendered Punishment: State Violence and Sexual Transgression in Medieval Europe
I want to talk today particularly about the use of mutilation as punishment for sexual offenses and particularly those involving same-sex activity in medieval Europe.
Historian tracks the medieval origins of our modern-day legal system
The right to defend oneself in front of a judge is but one of many legal principles that originate from medieval canon law.
The Grand Jury: The Medieval and the Modern
What is a grand jury, and how did this institution—originally designed as a check to rampant, unjust state power—come under the dominion of prosecutors and police?
Case of facial mutilation discovered from early medieval England
An early medieval skull found in southern England has revealed a young woman who had her nose and lips cut off and may also have been scalped. This is the first archaeological example of facial mutilation from this period.
Robin Hood – The Man, The Myth, and The History – Part 2: The Outlaws of Medieval England
14th century English outlaw was vastly more violent and cruel than the myths would have us believe
Medieval Scandinavia: Assemblies, Law-Giving and Language
In this feature on the Medieval Scandinavia series, Beñat Elortza Larrea discusses law assemblies, legislation, and how legal terminology can be tricky from a researcher’s perspective.
Sex in the Not-City: Bad Behavior in the Medieval English Village
Why was the policing of sexual relationships in these medieval communities thought to be necessary in the first place?
The Sheriff Solution: Medieval Law Enforcement for a Modern World
The Metropolitan Police Service – the first modern police force – was only created in London in 1829. So what were the structures in place for keeping order before that?
Why the Charter of the Forest was important for Medieval England
The Charter of the Forest was the first major expression of the rulings of Magna Carta in a practical sense.
Byzantine Jewellery: The Evidence from Byzantine Legal Documents
In the field of Byzantine jewellery studies the usefulness of this approach was demonstrated, over 20 years ago, by the work of Hetherington on the ownership and distribution of Byzantine enamels.
Sanctuary with Shannon McSheffrey
In the Middle Ages, a person could claim sanctuary to delay or avoid punishment for a serious crime. But what were the rules? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle interviews Dr. Shannon McSheffrey to find out how and why medieval people sought sanctuary, and whether or not a convicted heretic could expect the church to save his life.
Vi et Armis: Londoners and Violent Trespass Before the Common Pleas in the Fifteenth Century
The Londoners who entered pleadings in this court between 1405 and 1415 have left a fascinating glimpse into both interpersonal violence and the world of savvy litigators.
More than Mothers: Juries of Matrons and Pleas of the Belly in Medieval England
Common law was an all-male system, with one glaring exception: juries of matrons.
Prisons and Punishments in Late Medieval London
In the history of crime and punishment the prisons of medieval London have generally been overlooked.
The Standing Contest between King Charles and Redbad
Can win a medieval kingdom by being able to stand very still (and with just a little bit of scheming)?
How Medieval Europe thought of Justice
It was in this division of earthly and spiritual justice that the very notion itself encountered its first major challenge as an institution in medieval society.
Criminalising Animals in Medieval France: Insights from Records of Executions
This article explores compelling and specific cases from France during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in which animals were formally executed for crimes.
Wages of sin: The financial operations of a medieval church court
An overwhelming number of the criminal charges made in the Consistory from the second half of the fourteenth century until the last quarter of the fifteenth, the period for which records are most complete, were sexual in nature.