Legal Definitions - cry de pais

Cry de pais

Cry de pais is an old legal term that means "the cry of the country." It refers to the act of raising an alarm or calling for help from the people in a community when a crime has been committed. This was a common practice in medieval times when there were no police forces to help catch criminals.

If someone stole a cow from a farmer in a small village, the farmer would raise the cry de pais to alert the other villagers. They would all join in the search for the thief and try to catch him.

Another example would be if a traveler was attacked on the road by bandits. The traveler would raise the cry de pais to get help from anyone nearby. The people in the surrounding area would hear the cry and come to the traveler's aid.

These examples illustrate how the cry de pais was used to get help from the community when a crime was committed. It was a way for people to work together to catch criminals and keep their communities safe.