Crimes and Punishments

Feudal societies are often depicted as having harsh and unfair judicial systems in which the defendant has little or no chance of justice or mercy. In actuality, this is seldom the case. The same codes of honor, duty, and responsibility which pervade the rest of feudal culture also dominate the legal profession. Thus, establishing the truth in a case, either criminal or civil, is considered to be a matter of great importance. A justice takes pride in his work.

There are a few concepts which are important to understand about feudal justice. For one thing, the penalties for those convicted of serious crimes are quite severe. The death penalty is quite common, as is branding, whipping, or even dismemberment. While this is not a pleasant thought, it is the way things are. On the other hand, penalties are not generally overly cruel. Torture, for example, is almost never employed either to obtain confessions or punish the convicted.

The following is a list of various crimes and the generally administered punishments for those convicted of them. In some places, the penalties will be more severe, while in others they will be more merciful.