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...]
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...]
The Cartae Baronum of 1166 and the Elephant
Kings need information. By 1166 Domesday was getting a bit out of date. It was eighty years old … [Read more...]
The Exchequer in the time of Henry II
Revenue and the sheriffs All Kings need money. Lots of money. “We are of course aware” wrote … [Read more...]
