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Crime In The Renaissance Era

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The Renaissance was not only a time of recreation and enjoyment, but also a time filled with crime and brutality. People who were caught committing crimes were met with the law. In the Renaissance Era there were many strict laws, common crimes, and brutal punishments.
The strict laws that were present during the Renaissance were categorized by many factors, from the upper class, to the lower class. Distinctions among persons were constructed accordingly to gender, social status, political views, family relationships, and family background (Gredler 103). If your family had a history of committing crime, then you were most likely judged and treated worse. According to Gredler, “People were different according to their origins, and criminal …show more content…

Nobility crimes included high treason, sedition, rebellion, murder, blasphemy, spying, or witchcraft (“Elizabethan Crime and Punishment”). Regardless of their social and financial status, the upper class still committed a variety of crimes. Committing Treason and adultery were crimes(“Anne Boleyn Files”). The Roman law took crimes very seriously at that time. According to Gredler, “With the growing acceptance of Roman law, assassination, attempted assassination, and conspiracy against the monarch’s government, were pursued as especially serious crimes” (Gredler 101). Common crimes were committed by the upper class, but were also commonly committed by the lower class. Crimes were commonly committed by the lower class as well. Commoner’s crimes included theft, poaching, forgers, cut purses, adultery, fraud, begging, debtors, and dice coggers. (“Elizabethan Crime and Punishment”). These crimes were committed on a daily basis. “Elizabethan Crime and Punishment” states, Begging was a serious crime during the Elizabethan Era (Dec. 2). Sadly enough, many families went through this. Insest was also a strong crime that was committed (“Anne Boleyn Files”). Even though the commoners were in the lower class, they still committed many …show more content…

According to “Elizabethan Crime and Punishment”, “Many executions and punishments were witnessed by hundreds of people”(Dec. 8). Families gathered around the spots to witness this “great event”. According to Elizabethan Crime and Punishment, “Executions by beheading were considered the least brutal of execution methods and were accorded to important state prisoners, or people of noble birth”(Dec. 8). At times, they skipped the brutal torture methods and skipped right to beheading. Terrible speeches were delivered to the family before beheading (Elizabethan Crime and Punishment). Beheading was a terrible punishment for many of the

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