Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Becoming an outlaw in Medieval Europe was much different than being a criminal today. An outlaw in the Middle Ages outlaw was literally 'outside' the protection of the law.
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You might be familiar with the legendary ideal of outlaws like Robin Hood: living on the outskirts of English society, robbing from the wealthy and giving to the poor. Based on such tales, one might assume being an outlaw in the medieval age was synonymous with being a criminal, but this is far from the case.
If you were a medieval era outlaw and someone were to murder you, that person wouldn’t face legal consequences. In short, it was almost like The Purge, but only applied to you.
0:00 Intro
0:55 Dangers of Outlawry
2:21 Roman Outlaws
3:00 Other Outlaws
4:09 Erik the Red
4:28 Outlawry Today
5:02 Outro
Sources:
Outlawry Overview: britannica.com/topic/outlawry
Outlawry Law Guide: nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/outlaws-outlawry-medieval-early-modern-england
Erik the Red History: biography.com/history-culture/erik-the-red
Most images from Wikimedia Commons
Icon Credits: docs.google.com/document/d/1MYdsLMHKjtn5YRisSfoId79NlbyFs7P227386GRvtR8/edit?usp=sharing
♫ 'The Age Of Wood' by Savfk is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0) Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: youtu.be/Q6CRmIXcrxw ♫
#history #medieval #europeanhistory
Becoming an outlaw in Medieval Europe was much different than being a criminal today. An outlaw in the Middle Ages outlaw was literally 'outside' the protection of the law.
Subscribe for more videos like this: youtube.com/channel/UCweDKPSF65wRw5VHFUJYiow?sub_confirmation=1
You might be familiar with the legendary ideal of outlaws like Robin Hood: living on the outskirts of English society, robbing from the wealthy and giving to the poor. Based on such tales, one might assume being an outlaw in the medieval age was synonymous with being a criminal, but this is far from the case.
If you were a medieval era outlaw and someone were to murder you, that person wouldn’t face legal consequences. In short, it was almost like The Purge, but only applied to you.
0:00 Intro
0:55 Dangers of Outlawry
2:21 Roman Outlaws
3:00 Other Outlaws
4:09 Erik the Red
4:28 Outlawry Today
5:02 Outro
Sources:
Outlawry Overview: britannica.com/topic/outlawry
Outlawry Law Guide: nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/outlaws-outlawry-medieval-early-modern-england
Erik the Red History: biography.com/history-culture/erik-the-red
Most images from Wikimedia Commons
Icon Credits: docs.google.com/document/d/1MYdsLMHKjtn5YRisSfoId79NlbyFs7P227386GRvtR8/edit?usp=sharing
♫ 'The Age Of Wood' by Savfk is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0) Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: youtu.be/Q6CRmIXcrxw ♫
#history #medieval #europeanhistory
