Violence and Social Order

Abstract

This chapter discusses various aspects of violent social order found in East Anglia during the 15th century. All court statistics show allegations of non-violent crimes vastly outnumbering accusations of violence against a person. The violence of the 15th century has played an important role in many of the historical debates concerning late-medieval English politics and society. The repression of violence has been taken to be the measure of governmental success. The violence of magnates and their retainers has been used to demonstrate and characterize social and political structures. For 15th-century East Anglians, both violence and the law could be used to protect and establish divine, social, and political order.