Germanic Law
In modern American society a crime, such as a murder, is handled by a court, as it is considered a crime against not only the family, but also the state. In Germanic Law however, where family is almost the most important aspect of life, an act of violence against one man could very quickly result in a blood feud. In the Bible Jesus warns against taking an eye for an eye, or, in other words, doing to someone what they did to you. The Germans either didn't know of this passage or they didn't care, because in a blood feud the family of the victim would seek revenge on the family of the accused, and this would often result in loss of limbs or death. To prevent a blood feud a fine called the wergeld was created. The amount the family of the guilty had to pay for an offense varied greatly depending on the type of class the victim belonged to. A free Frank, for example, was said to be worth 8,000 denars, while a man who was in the service of the king was said to be worth 24,000 denars.
Before an accused man had to pay anything, he first had to be accused. The most popular ways of determining if he was guilty were by compurgation and by a process called the ordeal. Compurgation was simply a process by which the accused man and 12 to 25 others, who were willing to vouch for that man, would swear that the accused was innocent. The ordeal was a process by which the accused would attempt to harm himself and if he succeeded in one attempt, then he was found guilty, if he was unharmed then he was innocent. This was due to the fact that the Germans believed that if he was innocent then the gods would protect him from harm, and if he was guilty they would allow harm to befall him.
Before an accused man had to pay anything, he first had to be accused. The most popular ways of determining if he was guilty were by compurgation and by a process called the ordeal. Compurgation was simply a process by which the accused man and 12 to 25 others, who were willing to vouch for that man, would swear that the accused was innocent. The ordeal was a process by which the accused would attempt to harm himself and if he succeeded in one attempt, then he was found guilty, if he was unharmed then he was innocent. This was due to the fact that the Germans believed that if he was innocent then the gods would protect him from harm, and if he was guilty they would allow harm to befall him.
The Frankish Family and Marriage
In the Frankish family the males were the heads and nothing happened within the family without first getting their consent. Women were almost always under the control of a male figure. From birth till marriage a woman is under the direction and control of her father. Once she marries, she becomes obediant to her husband. One of the rare cases in which a woman can be independant of a male and do something like own land, is in the case of a widow. Not only can a widow own land, but as long as the widow can produce children her wergeld is more than a mans. In fact it's 24,000 denars, but when she can no longer bear a child her wergeld becomes 8,000 denars.
Fathers and uncles could arrange marriages and their children had no say in the matter. The to-be-husband would pay a fixed price to obtain "ownership" of his future wife, in other words the payment signified that the woman would now answer to her husband. Their marriage ceremony was extremely important and involved the couple physically sealing their marriage. This signified the continuation of the family blood line and therefore it was crucial that in new marriages the bride was a virgin so that all children would be of the husband and of the family line. Because of the concept of the family blood line, adultery was highly frowned upon and any adulterous wives were punished in the worst possible way which, in some cases, included being strangled or burned alive.
Only husbands could divorce his wife, a wife could not divorce her husband. If a divorce occured then the woman was returned to her family.
The average life expectancy of a German woman at that time was about 30 to 40 years. About 10-15% of the deaths among women at that time took place during there childbirth years. For most women life consisted of, "providing food and clothing for the family, caring for the children and assisting with numerous farming chores," according to Spielvogel's Western Civilization. Though women of that age had many obligations, by far their most important job was bearing children for the betterment and growth of the kingdom.
Fathers and uncles could arrange marriages and their children had no say in the matter. The to-be-husband would pay a fixed price to obtain "ownership" of his future wife, in other words the payment signified that the woman would now answer to her husband. Their marriage ceremony was extremely important and involved the couple physically sealing their marriage. This signified the continuation of the family blood line and therefore it was crucial that in new marriages the bride was a virgin so that all children would be of the husband and of the family line. Because of the concept of the family blood line, adultery was highly frowned upon and any adulterous wives were punished in the worst possible way which, in some cases, included being strangled or burned alive.
Only husbands could divorce his wife, a wife could not divorce her husband. If a divorce occured then the woman was returned to her family.
The average life expectancy of a German woman at that time was about 30 to 40 years. About 10-15% of the deaths among women at that time took place during there childbirth years. For most women life consisted of, "providing food and clothing for the family, caring for the children and assisting with numerous farming chores," according to Spielvogel's Western Civilization. Though women of that age had many obligations, by far their most important job was bearing children for the betterment and growth of the kingdom.