A range of punishments were used to make criminals suffer and to deter other people from committing similar crimes. Fines were a common punishment for petty crimes - minor crimes which were not ...

When we think of crime and punishment in the medieval period, we often think of a chaotic system of judgement, and brutal punishments, that seem out of proportion with the seriousness of the crime.

Given how terrible punishments could be in the medieval period, it is not surprising that people who had been accused of serious crimes tried a wide range of methods to avoid death. Image caption ...