Option 10: c1500–c1700: Crime and punishment in early modern England - 1 Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity — Edexcel GCSE History
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Option 10: c1500–c1700: Crime and punishment in early modern England - 1 Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity explained
Between 1500 and 1700, crimes against the person (like murder) and property (like theft) remained largely consistent, reflecting continuity in everyday criminal activity.
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However, crimes against authority saw significant changes due to religious and political turmoil. The English Reformation meant that heresy (holding beliefs contrary to the monarch's religion) became a prominent crime, with definitions changing depending on the monarch's faith. Treason also evolved, particularly following events like the Gunpowder Plot (1605), as monarchs sought to protect their power against religious and political threats. Students must understand how these shifts in authority-related crimes contrast with the continuity of ordinary offences.
New definitions of crime in the sixteenth century: vagabondage and witchcraft.
During the sixteenth century, societal changes led to new definitions of crime, notably vagabondage and witchcraft. Economic pressures, population growth, and the closure of monasteries increased the number of wandering poor. The authorities feared these 'vagabonds' as a threat to social order, leading to harsh laws like the 1547 Vagrancy Act. Similarly, witchcraft became a legally defined secular crime. The 1542 Witchcraft Act made it a capital offence, driven by religious changes and economic tensions. Towards the end of the century, publications like James VI of Scotland's 'Daemonologie' (1597) further fuelled fears, influencing later laws. Students must grasp how economic hardship and religious paranoia transformed these social issues into serious criminal offences during the early modern period.
Your focus
- Describe the continuity in crimes against the person and property between 1500 and 1700.
- Explain how and why the definitions of heresy and treason changed during this period.
- Evaluate the impact of religious and political changes on crimes against authority.
Show all 6 objectives
- Explain why vagabondage became a defined crime in the sixteenth century.
- Identify the factors that led to witchcraft being classified as a serious secular offence.
- Analyse how societal fears and economic pressures influenced the creation of new crimes.
Option 10: c1500–c1700: Crime and punishment in early modern England - 1 Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity exam tips
Marking Points
- Identify continuity in crimes against the person and property, such as murder, assault, and petty theft.
- Explain how the definition of heresy changed depending on the religious views of the reigning monarch, such as the shift from Mary I to Elizabeth I.
- Describe the changing nature of treason, linking it to political instability and religious conflict, such as the Gunpowder Plot.
- Analyse the relationship between crimes against authority and the monarch's need to maintain control during periods of religious upheaval.
- Explain the economic and social causes of vagabondage, such as population growth, inflation, and the dissolution of the monasteries.
- Describe the legislative response to vagabondage, including the distinction between the 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor.
- Identify the reasons for the criminalisation of witchcraft, including religious changes, economic tensions, and the publication of texts like 'Daemonologie'.
- Analyse how both vagabondage and witchcraft were driven by the authorities' fear of social breakdown and loss of control.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use specific monarchs, such as Mary I for Catholic heresy executions, to illustrate how definitions of crimes against authority changed.
- 💡When asked about change, always acknowledge what stayed the same to provide a balanced and comprehensive answer.
- 💡Link the increase in treason charges to specific historical events, such as the Gunpowder Plot or the English Civil War.
- 💡Use specific legislation, such as the 1542 Witchcraft Act or the 1572 Vagabonds Act, to support your explanations.
- 💡Connect the rise in these crimes to broader societal anxieties, such as fear of rebellion or religious instability.
- 💡Compare the motivations behind criminalising vagabondage, which was about economic and social control, with witchcraft, which stemmed from religious and supernatural fear.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing heresy and treason; heresy is a crime against the Church or religion, whereas treason is a crime against the monarch or state, though they often overlapped in this period.
- Assuming all crimes changed significantly; everyday crimes against the person and property remained largely the same as in the medieval period.
- Believing heresy was a new crime in this period; it existed previously but became much more prominent and volatile due to the Reformation.
- Stating that witchcraft was a completely new concept; belief in magic existed earlier, but it was newly defined as a serious secular crime punishable by death in this period.
- Treating all poor people as vagabonds; the law increasingly distinguished between the 'deserving poor' who were unable to work and 'sturdy beggars' or vagabonds who were able but unemployed.
- Claiming the 1542 Witchcraft Act was caused by James I's 'Daemonologie'; correction: the 1542 Act predates 'Daemonologie' (1597), which instead influenced later seventeenth-century legislation like the 1604 Act.