In the Tudor era there where a lot of crimes and even more cruel punishments, however there was no police to judge the crimes.That is why the Star Chamber was invented. The Star Chamber was a chamber at Westminster palace that was greatly feared. Although when you went to have a trial at the Star Chamber you almost always awaited death it was a great honour to die in the will of the court star. These trials where always kept in secret an where run by the Monarch's own judge. At the services you had no right to appeal as a witness because there where only 4 people in the room*, also no evidence would be taken from paper! This chamber was used between 1487 and 1641.
Unlike punishments now days most punishments where long term and often involved death.
Royalty and Nobles
In those days punishments where dependant on your class. Rich Tudors occasionally would be able to pay for a less hurtful punishment which lower class people thought was very unfair. However they sometimes where forced to pay for their own execution! Anne Boleyn was one of these, her family had to pay a huge sum of money to the French executioner they had requested. Here are the main crimes committed by upper class people:
High Treason (offence to royalty)
Blasphemy (cursing God)
Sedition (offence to authority of state)
Spying
Rebellion (resistance to obey government)
Murder
Witchcraft
The punishments to most of these where death. There where many painful ways of doing this, such as being Hung, drawn and quartered, being beheaded, or being burnt on a stake. (This last one was favoured by Queen Mary) The punishment for witchcraft was very different. This punishment was mainly used on women, it involved being tied to a chair and being duncked in a lake. If you sank you where innocent but probably dead, if you floated then you where a which and would be killed some other way. Then there where the less severe ones like taking land away or money of being put in the Chink (prison) or the stocks.
*The judge, a spectiphier, a linker and the person who had committed the crime.
Unlike punishments now days most punishments where long term and often involved death.
Royalty and Nobles
In those days punishments where dependant on your class. Rich Tudors occasionally would be able to pay for a less hurtful punishment which lower class people thought was very unfair. However they sometimes where forced to pay for their own execution! Anne Boleyn was one of these, her family had to pay a huge sum of money to the French executioner they had requested. Here are the main crimes committed by upper class people:
High Treason (offence to royalty)
Blasphemy (cursing God)
Sedition (offence to authority of state)
Spying
Rebellion (resistance to obey government)
Murder
Witchcraft
The punishments to most of these where death. There where many painful ways of doing this, such as being Hung, drawn and quartered, being beheaded, or being burnt on a stake. (This last one was favoured by Queen Mary) The punishment for witchcraft was very different. This punishment was mainly used on women, it involved being tied to a chair and being duncked in a lake. If you sank you where innocent but probably dead, if you floated then you where a which and would be killed some other way. Then there where the less severe ones like taking land away or money of being put in the Chink (prison) or the stocks.
*The judge, a spectiphier, a linker and the person who had committed the crime.