Crimes and Punishments in the Early Modern World

How did one break the law in early modern Europe (circa 1500-1800) and its colonies abroad? What were the possible and typical punishments for such transgressions? What recourse did the accused have? And how did secular systems of justice differ from their religious counterparts (for example, ecclesiastical courts, both Protestant and Catholic)? In this course, we examine these and related questions through a consideration of case studies (that is, primary sources in translation) and various scholarly perspectives.

While our focus is early modern legal and religious regimes, we also consider their foundations in antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as their continuing legacies in the present.