Legal Definitions - Anglo-Saxon law

ANGLO-SAXON LAW

Anglo-Saxon law refers to the set of rules and customs that were developed by the Germanic tribes who ruled England from the 5th century until 1066. These laws were a combination of royal decrees and traditional practices that governed various aspects of life, including crime, property, and family matters.

• One example of Anglo-Saxon law is the concept of wergild, which was a system of compensation for crimes such as murder or theft. The amount of compensation varied depending on the severity of the crime and the social status of the victim.
• Another example is the use of trial by ordeal, which was a method of determining guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused to a painful or dangerous test, such as holding a hot iron or plunging their arm into boiling water.

These examples illustrate how Anglo-Saxon law was based on a system of compensation and punishment that relied heavily on tradition and social status. The use of wergild ensured that victims or their families were compensated for their losses, while trial by ordeal was seen as a way to determine guilt or innocence through divine intervention.