Week 2 - Tudor Crime and Punishment
LO: To understand how the closing of monasteries influenced crime in Tudor Britain and to investigate how criminals were punished in the Tudor period.
How did crime and punishment change from Medieval to Tudor times? Both periods used harsh punishments, but Tudor punishments became more about power and control, especially over religion. There was a move from community-based justice in medieval times to more central control by the monarch in Tudor times. The idea of punishment as a warning to others stayed strong in both periods.
Lesson 1: How did the closing of the monasteries affect crime in Tudor Britain?
Watch: this video to find out about King Henry VIII and the reformation.
Learn: Read through the slides to find out more about the dissolution of the monasteries
Task: explain how these factors increased crime, following the dissolution of the monasteries
Class Discussion: Was it fair to punish people who became poor because of the dissolution of the monasteries?
Lesson 2: How were criminals punished in Tudor Britain?
Watch: find out more about Tudor crime and punishment in Britain. Crime and Punishment in Tudor times - BBC Bitesize
Learn: read through the slides and learn about Tudor crime and punishment. Are there any punishments that have remained from medieval times? Are there any new punishments?
Task: Can you match up the Tudor crimes and their punishments?
Group Discussion: Which punishment do you think was the most unfair? Why?
Class Discussion: What do Tudor punishments tell us about how society was ruled?
Lesson 3: How do we know about crime and punishment in Tudor Britain?
Watch: this video to find out about the reliability of historical sources.
Task: Split into four groups and rotate around the tables, examining the four historical sources. At each table, answer the questions below.
- What does this show?
- What can we learn from it?
- Can we trust it? Is it a reliable source?
Class Discussion: What did you find out about Tudor crime and punishment from looking at these sources? Which sources were more/less reliable? Why? Why is it important to look at different sources?