By

Christopher A. Rogers

“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

Binding oaths

Providing social stability

Oaths bound people together to create social stability and were kept through the fear of the gods, legal penalties and one’s own sense of honor.

Ordeals – a physical test where God will quickly determine the verdict

Compurgation – Swearing oaths with oath-helpers who swore to a litigant’s innocence

Guilt determined by the gods, not the peopleEventual punishment by the gods

Aistulf, King of the Lombards (r. 749-756), smited by God for breaking his oath to Pippin the Short

Sworn on sacred itemsChristians: relic, bible, crossPagans: weapons, ships

Sworn in the name of the gods

Self-curse

Precise wording

Beowulf – bound himself, through oath, to defeat Grendel and defend Hrothgar’s kingdom

Oaths of fealty, brotherhood, friendship

Bound people to a course of actionCreated artificial support groups

1-fold, 3-fold, 6-fold, 12-fold6-fold oath = litigant + 5 oath-helpers

(compurgators)

More serious crimes needed more compurgators

Serious crimes threatened the stability of society

Swore not to the truth, but to the belief in innocenceShow of support for the litigant by his support

groups

Temporal punishment needed the will of the peopleDelegated judgment to the godsPrevented the outbreak of blood feud

Physical survival depended on people working together

Oath-breaking – breaking an oath

Perjury – knowingly swearing a false oathThreatened the stability of societyDisdained the fear of gods

Real belief that the gods would enforce the terms of the oathFear of divine punishment

How well they were known

Currency of medieval life

All strove to gain more and often dictated actions

Perjury and oath-breaking caused great dishonor

Fines for minor oaths broken/perjured

Lesser/major outlawry for major oaths broken/perjuredProperty forfeited, death could not be avenged

No longer eligible to clear their name through oaths, must use ordeals

Oaths created stabilityThrough bonds and creation of support groupsEnforced through legal codes, sense of honor

and fear of the gods

Compurgation lessened as states became centralized

Oaths still integral to modern society

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