Crime and Punishment / 1066-1500
Crime and Punishment: Trial by Combat and Outlaws
Norman justice kept some older customs but added brutal new ways to settle disputes and punish fugitives.
What To Remember
- The Normans introduced trial by combat for some disputes about money or land.
- Trial by ordeal continued, so religious judgement remained important.
- Outlaws and waived women lost legal protection and could be killed without punishment.
Trial by combat
Two people fought with swords or large sticks to settle a dispute.
It was often used for disputes over money or land.
Because the fight could end in death, it was both a trial and a punishment.
Change and continuity
Change: trial by combat was introduced by the Normans.
Continuity: trial by ordeal continued, still relying on God to reveal guilt.
Both systems show that medieval trials did not always depend on evidence in the modern sense.
Outlaws and waived
A man who fled justice could be declared an outlaw.
A woman who fled could be called waived.
They were outside the law, so people could kill them without being punished.
Named example
The Folville gang was a 14th-century outlaw gang.
The workbook links them to serious crimes over about 20 years, including kidnapping, robbery, and rape.
This contrasts with romantic stories like Robin Hood and shows that outlawry could mean serious criminal violence.
Revision Prompt
What do trial by combat and outlawry reveal about the harshness of Norman justice?