Modeling systems of sentencing in early inquisition trials: Crime, social connectivity, and punishment in the register of Peter Seila (1241-2)

Despite significant research on the techniques of repression employed by medieval inquisitors against religious dissidents, the case-level influences on the penances they meted out are understood only vaguely: the extent to which sentencing "systems" existed is unknown. To overcome this, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHistorical methods Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 176 - 197
Main Authors Shaw, Robert L. J., Hampejs, Tomáš, Zbíral, David
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Routledge 03.07.2023
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects
computer-assisted semantic text modelling (CASTEMO)
Criminal sentences
Inquisition
Medieval heresy
Medieval period
multiple linear regression
penance
qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)
Trials
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Summary:Despite significant research on the techniques of repression employed by medieval inquisitors against religious dissidents, the case-level influences on the penances they meted out are understood only vaguely: the extent to which sentencing "systems" existed is unknown. To overcome this, we apply formal methods - an exploratory analysis supported by crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, and statistical modeling founded on multiple linear regression - to the large and historically significant register of Peter Seila (1241-2), captured as structured data via a statement-based approach entitled "Computer-Assisted Semantic Text Modelling" (CASTEMO). The results show that Peter systematically weighted different types of crimes and dissident interactions when sentencing; they do not suggest, however, that he was influenced by accomplicity or kinship among the sentenced.
ISSN:0161-5440
1940-1906
DOI:10.1080/01615440.2023.2270404