Legal Definitions - de plagis et mahemio

de plagis et mahemio refers to a historical legal procedure, specifically a type of criminal appeal, that was used in cases involving serious physical injury, such as wounding or maiming.

This Latin term, meaning "of wounds and mayhem," highlights its focus on severe bodily harm. In historical legal systems, it provided a specific avenue for an injured party to bring a criminal complaint against someone who had inflicted significant physical damage upon them.

• Example 1: Imagine a dispute in a medieval town where two merchants, during a heated argument over trade, come to blows. One merchant, out of anger, strikes the other with a heavy object, causing a severe laceration to the victim's face that leaves a permanent scar. In such a situation, the injured merchant might have initiated a de plagis et mahemio appeal to formally accuse the assailant and seek criminal justice for the grievous wound inflicted.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates a direct physical assault resulting in a significant wound, which would have fallen under the purview of this historical criminal appeal.

• Example 2: Consider a historical context where a disgruntled employee, seeking revenge against their former employer, deliberately attacks them and severs a finger or permanently damages an eye. This act, resulting in a permanent disfigurement or loss of a body part, constitutes maiming. The employer, as the victim, could have pursued a de plagis et mahemio appeal to bring criminal charges against the employee for the severe and lasting bodily harm suffered.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates a case of intentional maiming, a severe form of injury that this specific type of criminal appeal was designed to address.

• Example 3: In a historical military setting, if a soldier was ambushed by an enemy combatant outside of formal battle and deliberately crippled, perhaps by having a limb broken beyond repair or tendons severed to prevent future fighting, the soldier or their commanding officer might have sought justice through a de plagis et mahemio appeal. This would have been a formal legal complaint aimed at holding the perpetrator accountable for the intentional and disabling injuries.

  Explanation: Here, the term applies to a situation involving severe, disabling injury (maiming) inflicted outside the rules of engagement, highlighting its use in seeking criminal redress for such acts.