Here's something interesting
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 12:48 pm.
Medieval justice wasn't so medieval. (Link goes to LiveScience.com.)
The article talks about our image of how justice was meted out in medieval times, and why it's mostly dead wrong. As modern people (with modern lack of interest in history) we've tended to conflate the Renaissance, which was full of torture and bloodshed and persecution, with the Medieval period, which was before the whole Europe-going-up-in-flames Inquisition period. According to the historians quoted in the article, medieval justice may have been more equitable than our own system now, which tends to lock criminals away from the public, making it difficult or impossible for people to know how they're treated.
Heady stuff!
Medieval justice wasn't so medieval. (Link goes to LiveScience.com.)
The article talks about our image of how justice was meted out in medieval times, and why it's mostly dead wrong. As modern people (with modern lack of interest in history) we've tended to conflate the Renaissance, which was full of torture and bloodshed and persecution, with the Medieval period, which was before the whole Europe-going-up-in-flames Inquisition period. According to the historians quoted in the article, medieval justice may have been more equitable than our own system now, which tends to lock criminals away from the public, making it difficult or impossible for people to know how they're treated.
Heady stuff!