Mercy and Authority in the Tudor State

The early parts of the reading try to give us a firm understanding of what exactly pardons were in the Tudor State. It states that "most pardons remained conditional upon the recipient's future good behavior," which is an understandable assessment that is approached in the same manner today. If you behave well and do the right things to correct your mistakes, you will go free or be given rewards for your behavior. Further along in the reading, there was an agreement between two writers, Douglas Hay and John Beattie. Both agreed upon the fact that "pardons had both political and judicial aspects; it enhanced the terror of the law while legitimizing its use by emphasizing the humanity of the king." Executions were used to set an example and were also acceptable in the public, which raises an interesting interpretation of how things are done today. Many people don't realize the ferocity of an execution in today's society, no matter which method is used. However, people tend to view an execution in the same manner as in the Tudor State; as a means of setting an example rather than punishment or murder.

At the beginning of Chapter 6, titled Protest and Pardons, there was a common belief mentioned early that "small crimes led to greater sins if not corrected." John Smythe had a very interesting feeling about this; he worried that "such lenience not only emboldened people to offend, but also to turn to serious offenses that threatened the very basis of society." In a few less words, Smythe felt that mercy prompted rebellion, which is the complete opposite of what actually happened throughout the Tudor Period. During the Tudor Period, a pardon was used to "defuse mass protest, trading mercy for a public display of deference or submission." Stated later on in the chapter is the fact that pardons aren't necessarily studied by historians. However, the few that have hit on the topic of pardons don't really hit on them being part of the "pre-existing traditions of mercy." In modern day society, people tend to use violence as a means of mercy as well as a way to correct previous mistakes. Pardons aren't considered in most circumstances because people tend to not want to "rat out" a fellow peer or family member. Instead of using pardons, we use violence to get our point across, which tends to be different from what happened during the Tudor Period.

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