Crime and Punishments of the Renaissance Era

Renaissance Society

Thesis Statement

Crime was a common occurrence in Renaissance society. Certain areas such as cities were much safer than others such as the countryside due to armed guards at town gates, internal policing, and surrounding walls. Nonetheless, daily life was still unsafe for many. Unprotected peasants were vulnerable to bandits and were often looted and assaulted by undisciplined soldiers. As a result of this, most men would leave their house armed and women would often be accompanied by a male guardian to ensure their safety.

Violent Speech

Defining Crime

The justice system during the Renaissance divided criminal activity into two general categories: crimes against persons and crimes against property. Crimes against persons were very common during the Renaissance. They included verbal violence, assault, murder, and sexual violence. Crimes against property were less frequent than those against people. They included theft, bankruptcy, and fishing & hunting in land part of aristocratic preserves. Criminal courts, rather than civil courts were responsible for punishing violators with crimes involving monarchs such as assassination, attempted assassination, and conspiracy resulting in worse punishments.

Speech as a form of violence was a big concern during the Renaissance. Between 1349 and 1406 more than three-quarters of the cases heard by the Venetian Council of Ten involved allegations of verbal violence. It was believed that violent deeds were born from violent words. As a result many feared that conspiracies against the state, assaults against public officials, and fights amongst commoners could occur. Some communities even outlawed specific insults and gestures. Punishments against crimes of speech were often quite severe. In fact, threatening someone would sometimes be penalized more severely than physically assaulting them.

Assault and Murder

Sexual Violence

Crime and Punishments

Minor assaults and brawls were often seen as normal behavior by authorities as long as no blood was shed. They would often result in minor fines or no punishment whatsoever. In cases of more serious assaults and murders, judges would distinguished between crimes of passion and crimes of rational self-interest, which were punished with greater severity. The reason being the belief that human beings are governed by their emotions, which could sometimes lead to unavoidable violence which they may not be able to fully control since not all people are as in control of their emotions as others. The punishments would therefore be suited to the crimes and were meant to provide an institutionalized form of revenge. Those who demonstrated a self-interested emotional detachment from the crime, such as robbers or paid assassins received more elaborate ritual executions than those who committed a senseless impulsive crime such as a domestic dispute, murder, bout of drinking, or argument among gamblers.

Crimes of sexual violence such as sexual molestation, attempted rape, and rape were seen as minor forms of assault and therefore punished less severely than violent speech or robbery. The degree of the crime was instead calculated by judicial authorities by the age and status of the victim. While the rape of a young child was seen as a serious crime, the rape of a married, widow, or unmarried woman was seen as less severe. As a result, rapists would often escape punishment altogether.

by

Marjorie Alvarado

Punishment Methods Continued

Punishment Methods

Stoning: A group of people would throw stones at a person until they died.

Pillory: A device made of a wooden or metal framework with holes for securing the head and hands used for punishment through public humiliation.

Judas Cradle: A person would be forced to sit on a pyramid-like seat whilst their feet were tied together.

Breaking Wheel: A torture device used for public execution in which a person's bones would be broken until they died.

Chair of Torture: A chair with 500 to 1500 spikes in which a person was strapped down to, often used for confessions.

Rack Torture: A person was strapped to a table with two rollers at each end and then stretched apart until their arms and legs were dislocated and sometimes torn completely off their body.

Saw Torture: A person was hung upside down by their feet whilst naked and then sawed to death between their legs down towards their head.

Hanging: A person would have a noose or ligature placed around their neck and then suspended at an elevation.

Decapitation: An axe, sword, or knife would be used to behead an individual.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Harrison, William, Description of Elizabethan England (originally published 1577-78, republished for the New Shakespeare Society 1877-1878); Rowse,A.L., The Elizabethan Renaissance: The Life of the Society (1971).

Saari, Peggy. Renaissance & Reformation. Detroit: UXL, 2002. Print.

Forgeng, Jeffrey L. Daily Life in Elizabethan England. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1995. Print.

Edgerton, Samuel Y. Pictures and Punishment: Art and Criminal Prosecution during the pFlorentine Renaissance. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1985. Print.

"The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron (detail 2) 1481-82." The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron (detail 2) 1481 82. Web. 4 Jan. 2016.

Secondary Sources

Brackett, John. "Crime and Punishment."Encyclopedia of the Renaissance.Ed. Paul F. Grendler. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. World History in Context.Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Muir, Edward. "Violence."Encyclopedia of the Renaissance.Ed. Paul F. Grendler. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. World History in Context.Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Clough, Cecil H. "Crime, Society and Law in Renaissance Italy." The English Historical Review 111.443 (1996): 967+. World History in Context.Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Elgin, Kathy. Crime and Punishment. Compass Point, 2005. 32. Print.

Terpstra, Nicholas. The Art of Executing Well: Rituals of Execution in Renaissance Italy. Vol. 1. Truman State UP, 2008. 354. Print.