Crime & Punishment · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Crime and Punishment in Medieval Times

History · Medieval Times · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What happened in a trial by combat?

    • Both sides drew straws
    • The accused and accuser fought each other
    • A jury voted

  2. A woman in a medieval town is accused of stealing bread. The court orders a trial by ordeal with boiling water. What will she have to do?

    • Pull a stone out of the boiling water
    • Fight the shopkeeper in front of the town
    • Spend three days locked in the stocks

  3. What was the stocks or pillory used for?

    • Training knights
    • Storing grain
    • Punishing someone in public view

  4. A man accused of poaching a deer carried a hot iron bar. Three days later a priest unwrapped his hand and found it healing well. What did the town take that to mean?

    • That God had judged him innocent, so he went free
    • That the iron had not really been hot
    • That he needed a second ordeal with boiling water

  5. A dungeon was a comfortable room where guests stayed.

    Circle one:   True   False

  6. A thief has been stealing from market stalls in a medieval county, and the king wants order kept. Whose job is it to catch the thief?

    • The priest, because he checks wounds after ordeals
    • The sheriff, the king's officer in the county
    • The village blacksmith, because he works with iron

  7. Tom says medieval punishment was fair because everyone was treated the same, rich or poor. What is wrong with this idea?

    • Poor people were often punished more harshly for small crimes than the wealthy
    • There were no punishments for wealthy people
    • Only children were ever punished

  8. Which is the biggest difference between medieval justice and justice today?

    • Today, there are no punishments at all
    • Today, only kings can be accused of crimes
    • Today, courts use evidence and witnesses instead of ordeals or combat
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Crime and Punishment in Medieval Times W1-mt_3tQXH9GwIa-s1

  1. The accused and accuser fought each other · Whoever won the fight was judged to be telling the truth.
  2. Pull a stone out of the boiling water · A boiling-water ordeal means pulling a stone from the boiling water. Fighting the accuser is trial by combat, and the stocks are a punishment after a guilty verdict.
  3. Punishing someone in public view · A guilty person's hands or feet were trapped in wood in the town square so everyone could see their punishment.
  4. That God had judged him innocent, so he went free · People believed God guided the healing. A wound healing cleanly after three days was taken as God's sign of innocence.
  5. False · A dungeon was a dark, damp cell used to lock up people found guilty of crimes, sometimes for years.
  6. The sheriff, the king's officer in the county · The sheriff was the king's officer in the county, in charge of catching criminals and keeping order, so catching the market thief falls to him.
  7. Poor people were often punished more harshly for small crimes than the wealthy · Medieval justice often fell hardest on the poor, which is one reason it looks unfair by today's standards.
  8. Today, courts use evidence and witnesses instead of ordeals or combat · Modern courts weigh evidence and testimony. Medieval trials often relied on physical tests or a fight instead.
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