Anglo-Normans: Normans who lived in England after the Norman conquest of 1066.
assailed: Made a concerted or violent attack upon a person or place.
bailey: The outer wall of a castle.
barbican: The outer defence of a castle or walled city.
besiege: Surround a place with armed forces either to capture it or to force its people to surrender
breach: A gap in the fortifications or line of defence of an enemy, created by the bombardment of attacking forces.
cat: A protective canopy wheeled to the base of a fortification. Also called a tortoise.
catapults: A military machine worked by a lever and ropes for hurling large stones or other missiles.
depose: Overthrow and remove from a position of power.
faggots: A bundle of sticks, bound together to be used as fuel.
fortifications: The defensive wall or other reinforcement, built to strengthen a place against attack.
Frankish Empire: The large territory in today's Europe that was held by the Franks in the early Middle Ages.
garderobe: The toilet in a medieval building.
garrison: The group of soldiers stationed in a fort or town in order to defend it.
incandescent: Emitting light as a result of being heated.
keep: The strongest part of central tower of a medieval castle.
lordship: The territory controlled by a lord.
moat: A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle or fort, usually filled with water, built as a defence against attack.
pacifying: Quelling the anger, agitation or excitement of something.
principalities: States ruled by princes.
prone: Likely to be affected by; vulnerable to.
quarried: Extracted stone or other materials from a quarry.
realm: Kingdom.
sappers: Soldiers responsible for tasks such as building and repairing roads and bridges or digging tunnels under defences.
stronghold: A place that has been fortified to protect it against attack.
trebuchet: A machine used in medieval siege warfare for hurling large stones or other missiles.
tumultuous: Loud, noisy, deafening.
velocity: Speed.
Crime and punishment in medieval Europe were largely based on the concept of lex talionis, or the law of retaliation. This meant that the punishment for a crime should be equal to the crime itself. For example, if someone stole a loaf of bread, they might be punished by having their hand cut off. If someone murdered someone else, they might be executed.
Of course, there were many different types of crimes and punishments in medieval Europe. Some of the most common crimes included theft, assault, murder, and heresy. Punishments for these crimes could vary depending on the severity of the crime and the social status of the offender. For example, a peasant who stole a loaf of bread might be punished by having their hand cut off, while a nobleman who committed the same crime might be fined.
In addition to the law of retaliation, there were also a number of other factors that could influence the severity of a punishment in medieval Europe. These factors included the motive for the crime, the age and gender of the offender, and the time period in which the crime was committed. For example, crimes committed during times of war were often punished more harshly than crimes committed during times of peace.
The system of crime and punishment in medieval Europe was not perfect. It was often arbitrary and unfair, and it could be used to punish people for political reasons. However, it did provide a framework for maintaining order and justice in society.
Here are some additional details about crime and punishment in medieval Europe: