Rome AD43 to C410

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Rome AD43 to C410

Roman Britain

AD. 43 Romans invade

Britain

C. 410 Collapse of Roman Empire, withdrawal from Britain

Roman Law

We know that they

had a wide range of laws so we can presume that they had a wide range of crime.

EG Selling underweight bread to assassination of the emperor. Petty theft was

the most common crime.

As

societies developed and communities became more stable, there was a need for a framework of laws and

rules. Early societies such as Babylon,

had their own code of conduct but it was only with the advent of the Roman

Empire that a set of rules covering a

very large area was seen for the first time. The Roman Empire took much of the middle east and each new conquest

became subject to Roman Law. Roman law

was not based on religion and it tried to ensure there was fairness in its

approach. Laws were written down, originally on tablets of stone (the twelve tables). The Romans did appreciate

that laws should change as societies evolves. Eventually all of the laws were

brought together in what was called the digest

of Roman law in the 6th century AD. It was completed under the orders of

the emperor Justinian.

Roman attitude to crime Mainly reflected

those of the powerful groups or classes who had the power (and the literacy) to

make and enforce the laws. Their

interests and concerns were often given special protection by the laws they

passed and the lower classes were not. For example killing a slave was not

considered murder.

Therefore the most

serious crimes those that threatened the authority. E.G. rebellion (Boudicca) and

the Iceni tribe in east Anglia 60 E. and religious non-conformity. Christians

refused to worship the Emperor above their God.

Individuals were

held totally responsible for their crimes, no matter what the circumstances

were. E.G. unlike C. 20th. No attempt to understand the causes of crime and try

to prevent it.

Women were seen as

inferior and were treated unequally by roman law. They were often punished more

harshly than men.

Theft-stealing money

or property was the most common crime. From looking at other times we can

conclude that poverty can cause desperation and or greed and can lead to crime.

Roman Britain saw huge divisions between rich and poor. It was regarded as a minor

crime as it did not affect the majority of people.General riots at

games, chariot races and gladiatorial contests also took place form time to

time.

Boudicca

Queen of the Iccini-half of

fathers fortune- half to empire

Rome took the lot- Boudicca

caused uprising 60 AD.

Destroyed Colchester the

capital of Roman Britain. Then destroyed London.

Defeated by a highly skilled

Roman army.

Why was rebellion

the most serious crime in Roman Britain?

Because the Romans had such a

large empire rebellion would destabilised the empire.

It threatened Roman rulers in

Britain (The rulers were the ones who made the laws so it was treated as a

serious crime.)

Roman

Attitudes to Punishment Over time Roman

punishments became increasingly violent, including amputation of limbs or death

by pouring molten lead down a convicted persons thought. Roman punishment were

designed to deter others using fear.

Punishment for the crime was

dependent on the offenders position in society and the severity of the

crime.

Slaves were hung for most

crimes.

Citizens

were often executed however they were sometimes punished

corporally or had to pay fines.

Nobles were treated less

harshly , they were exiled for all but the

most serious crimes.

Prisons were only used for

debtors and those awaiting trial.

Romans used capital

and corporal punishment to deter others from committing the same crime. Also if the punishment was

corporal in some cases and capital in all cases it physically prevent the person from committing the same crime

again.

Roman

Law

Roman laws

were made by the Emperor and the Senate to protect their interests — Rome's

strong central government and good system of communications meant these laws were enforced across the Empire and therefore Roman Britain.

The

governors of Britain relied on Britons to help them govern Britain so unless they were outrageous or contradicted Roman Law they would

have allowed local people to uphold their local customs.

They were

written down in detail, often updated and covered a wide range of crimes, even to improve public health e.g. dumping waste in the

River Tiber (where Rome's drinking water came from) was illegal

The first

recorded laws were the Twelve Tables, C. 450 BC. School children had to learn them by heart and they were publicly displayed on metal

sheets in every town Centre (although of course, not everyone could read

Latin!)

The

greatest Roman law code was the work of Emperor Justinian, 533 AD. although this was written after the Romans had left Britain, he had

gathered together all the laws from across the Empire so we can presume they included laws that had been in place in Roman Britain.

Roman

Law Enforcement

The

Praetorian Guard - were used to protect the Emperor himself. Rome was served by

urban cohorts (300 soldiers) to prevent riots and Vigiles (7000 men) who patrolled

at night to stop crimes/chase runaway slaves/put out fires

The

Provincial Governor - was

appointed by Rome. He dealt with all major cases and would

call a jury to decide serious cases, such as murder. It was his job to keep

peace and therefore to put down rebellions using the army. He could give the death

penalty to non-Roman citizens but had to ask the Emperor's permission to pass the

death sentence on a Roman citizen.

Magistrate

- appointed by Rome but could be a Briton. Legal assistants to the Governor

dealt with minor cases in small courts where both sides presented their evidence

and the defendant was innocent until proven guilty.

Roman

legions I.E. divisions of the army were used to police the villages and towns(instead

of a costly police force). Centurions would look at evidence that individuals

brought to him and decide whether the case should go to court and be tried.

Centurions could hear and judge very minor cases.

Individuals

— if someone felt they had been

the victim of a crime, they had to take the

suspect to the local centurion and collect their own evidence (this often lead

to more

violence). If they were wealthy they could afford to employ their own lawyer.