Anglo-Saxon Studies Capital and Corporal Punishment in Anglo-Saxon England, Book 23, (Hardcover)

Anglo-Saxon authorities often punished lawbreakers with harsh corporal penalties, such as execution, mutilation and imprisonment. Despite their severity, however, these penalties were not arbitrary exercises of power. Rather, they were informed by nuanced philosophies of punishment which sought to resolve conflict, keep the peace and enforce Christian morality. The ten essays in this volume engage legal, literary, historical, and archaeological evidence to investigate the role of punishment in Anglo-Saxon society, looking at the shift from feud to top-down punishment; how punishment was used to enhance royal standing; and the intersection of secular punishment and penitential practice.