Henry II had seen at first hand the devastation that can be wrought when the succession was not … [Read more...]
The Constitutions of Clarendon and the Becket affair
If anyone knows anything about the reign of Henry II, they know about the Beckett affair. About … [Read more...]
Towns in medieval England
Most people in Medieval England lived off the land. There were cities of course, but these were far … [Read more...]
Medieval slavery and unfree villeinage
In England (where I am writing from), slavery has been absent from our culture for a long time. … [Read more...]
The Kings courts and the start of the common law
The legal reforms carried out by Henry II had a profound effect on the English legal system. This … [Read more...]
The petty assizes and the development of the jury system
We discussed here how Henry II made it a requirement that all land disputes should be resolved via … [Read more...]
The General Eyre and the Court at Westminster
In my last post I said I was going to be looking the new forms of action developed by Henry II, but … [Read more...]
The Writ of Right and the start of Henry II’s legal reforms
At the start of the reign of Henry II As can be seen by the case of Battle Abbey, the legal system … [Read more...]
Battle Abbey v. Gilbert de Balliol
Its time to get our hands dirty and look at an actual 12th century land dispute. This is the story … [Read more...]
A confusion of courts
I looked briefly at courts in my post here. However, now we have reached Henry II it is time to look … [Read more...]