Punishment in the Middle Ages could be extremely harsh. It was up to the people to enforce the law.
Punishment in the Middle Ages was a lot harsher than in modern times. Fines, shaming, bodily injury, and death penalties were the most common forms of punishment. Fines are pretty self-explanatory. We use them today. Shaming made people look like fools. Bodily injury included things like whipping and chopping off limbs. Death penalties were the end. There were no laws restricting torture, so people died. The ideas medieval people came up with to torture their people are horrifying.
What different kinds of punishment and torture were there in the Middle Ages? How did the judging system work?

Punishment for Kids in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, punishment for kids could be harsh. Parents beat their children; then the kids learned to obey and not break the law. It was not comfortable, but the consequences of disobedience never are. They listened to their parents, who loved them and wanted the best for them. It was important for kids to learn because the law could affect them at a very young age.

At seven years old, the law treated kids much like adults. Someone could take them to court, and the law could punish them. They could even receive a death sentence, such as hanging. If the kids were lucky, sometimes a judge would go easy on them until they were twelve. However, the judge could still punish their parents instead. It was a matter of survival. Teachers could also beat their students to discourage bad behavior.

Trials

Trials are essential in our modern justice system. In the Middle Ages, trials were a little silly. Early on, Trial by Ordeal was prominent. The first trial was Ordeal by Fire. The criminal picked up a red-hot bar and held it while they walked three paces or six steps. Then someone bandaged their hand. If they showed signs of healing three days later, they were innocent.

Unfortunately, if it wasn’t healing at all, you were guilty. I wonder how many people liked that challenge, because it seems like branding to me. The next was Ordeal by Water. The person who did this trial had their hands and feet tied together. The person got in the water. If they floated, they were guilty. If they sank, they were innocent. Just empty your lungs!

The final ordeal was for nobles. It was an Ordeal by Combat. The accused person fought his accuser. Whoever won was right, and whoever lost was already dead. Eventually, people replaced Trial by Ordeal with Trial by Jury. Some people didn’t like that because enemies could twist their trials.

The church tried its clergy. The Benefit of the Clergy let them go to a church court. In church courts, death sentences, and harsher punishments didn’t even appear. The Benefit of the Clergy only required someone to read a verse from the Bible. Therefore, any literate man could get the Benefit of the Clergy. Then they could be tried in church courts which were more lenient.

Shaming as Punishment in the Middle Ages

Who likes people making fun of them? Shaming was a common form of punishment in the Middle Ages, because it was effective. The people would do something to make you look like a fool with as many people present as possible. It was the kindest form of punishment for adults and, therefore, only for minor crimes. People would tell everyone the crime, criminal, and date of penalty. Folks from all around would come to the shaming. The punishment would be worse because more people were watching.

Two of the best-known forms of shaming are the pillory and the stocks. Many people get those confused. The stocks locked up feet while the pillory locked up the hands and neck. The pillory was a little too high, so it was uncomfortable.

While they served their time in the pillory or stocks, people threw things at them. That could include eggs, vegetables (preferably rotten), or other bad things. A different and less well-known type of pillory is the finger pillory. The wrongdoer’s finger was bent in an L shape.

With the top on the pillory, the person could not get out. It was for minor sins, such as missing church. Another form of shaming was tying the criminal behind a cart. Then the wagon led them all through the city or town with many people seeing them. They might have to visit the pillory after that.

Bodily Punishment in the Middle Ages

Next on the punishment ladder was bodily punishment. It was for mid-range offenses or repeat offenders. A theft was considered a mid-range crime. Gentler things that fell into physical punishment included whipping, beating, and other things that caused temporary pain. People would go to watch. It also included permanent things, like cutting off an appendage, branding, or marking a body part another way.

Thieves and poachers had their hands or feet cut off. Then they couldn’t steal or poach effectively with only one hand or foot. Branding was another form of bodily punishment. Generally, the brand would go on the cheek, hand, forehead, or chest. Cutting a permanent mark on the face, like a split in the nose, was also common. Everyone knew you had committed a crime. People could then be wary of you.

Death Penalties

Finally, the worst penalty was death. There were multiple legal death sentences. First, death by beheading was a decent way to die, because it could be fast and painless. However, if the axe remained dull, it would be painful. Nearly Headless Nick from Harry Potter didn’t have a sharp axe.

Beheadings were usually for nobility and royalty. Another execution was hanging. People would hang from a rope until they died of strangulation. It could take a while and be very painful without the quick-drop method. Next, people could burn. Someone tied them to a wooden post called the stake with flammable things around them. It would take a long time to finish dying inside the fire.

Therefore, it was one of the most painful ways to die. Burning was especially popular for witches. It was also the woman’s punishment for treason.
The punishment men received for treason was far worse. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered. First, they went to the gallows. They stayed until they were almost dead. Then the executioner took them down to cut them open and remove their organs.

The executioner threw them in a fire in front of the person, who was not yet dead. Finally, the person had to be quartered. That meant the executioner cut them into four different pieces. The pieces would all go to different parts of the city as a warning to others. Men had to be naked for the process. Women did not have to undress to burn. They got to stay modest.

Torture

People used torture to extract confessions. One way was flogging, also known as beating. The torturer would continue until the person either confessed or went unconscious. Next, come crushing tortures. First, there was the boot. It was iron and wood. Wedges would go between the legs or in the boot.

The torturous footwear would slowly tighten. Eventually, it would crush/break the bones. There was also a version designed for feet. A different variation had the boot more as a container. Then the torturer filled it with hot water or oil. Another crushing instrument was the thumbscrew. It used a winch device to crush the bones in the thumbs or other fingers. It was excruciating but not life-threatening at all. Last was the wheel, which could be a crushing or stretching torture.

The torturer tied the convict to a wagon wheel. Then the torturer would beat them. It was a way to torture and kill at the same time. Then someone would raise the wheel as a warning to others. The other way was to tie the person’s arms to the wheel. Someone would also fasten the legs to the ground.

The wheel would turn, and the person would pull apart. It was the circular version of the rack. The rack was a wooden framework with cranks. The hands went on one side with the legs on the other. As the ropes pulled tight, the limbs stretched painfully. Eventually, the rack could kill someone if pulled too tight.

Next comes dunking. Dunking was especially common for suspected witches. The criminal was tied to a chair. Then the torturer would put them underwater. It could be for varying amounts of time. This method was used for punishment and drawing confessions, not usually death. If the torturer didn’t know what he as doing, they might leave them in the water too long and actually kill them.

Jail

Today jail is a punishment. No one wants to go to jail. In the Middle Ages, jailing was not a punishment. It was just a place to hold someone until it was time for their trial or execution. People had to pay rent for the “privilege” of staying in jail. In that way, jailers could make a little money.

Many prisoners were nobles being held for ransom rather than criminals. Usually, trials would happen within a decently fast amount of time. The jails were not as bad as we may think. The wealthy prisoners especially had a lot of freedom, and the poorer inmates at least had a place to stay. They would also be safer from the world. In the case of a murder, the victim’s family had the legal right to seek redress and bring them to justice.

What do you think of punishment in the Middle Ages? What did you dislike? Let me know in the comments! Also, let me know if you have any questions.

To read more…

(and check out my sources…)

Law, Trials, and Punishment…

Medieval World: Crime and Punishment – including witchcraft

Crime and Punishment – Middle Ages for Kids

Medieval Punishments: Common, Capital & Types | StudySmarter

Medieval Punishment: Crimes and Torture

Execution in the Middle Ages…

EXECUTION IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Punishment in the Middle Ages…

Punishments were truly horrible in the Middle Ages

Punishment for kids in the Middle Ages…

A Medieval Childhood | A Writer’s Perspective

Torture in the Middle Ages…

Torture in the Middle Ages | Sky HISTORY TV Channel

Medieval Torture Techniques – King Richard III Visitor Centre

A related post of mine…

Powerful Gangs and Criminals in the Middle Ages

If you liked this, you will like these…

Wedding Traditions in the Middle Ages: Good and Bad

Superstitions People Had in the Middle Ages

Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras in the Middle Ages

Orders of Knighthood in the Gothic Period

And, last but not least, my homepage…

lifelongago.com