20 - History Flashcards
The Magna Carta…
It brought about a new relationship between the King and his subjects.
On the 15th of June 1215, 25 English Barons and representatives of their rebel army met King John on the banks of the Thames at Runnymead. There the King sealed a charter to restrict his abuse of royal power. One of the 25”rebel” barons, Saer de Quincy owned considerable land and properties in Leicester.
Magna Carter laid the foundation for modern democracy and the individual freedom we enjoy today.
Prior to the Magna Carta…
The origins of our English Justice System date prior to the signing of the Magna Carta by King John in 1215 and are based on an informal set of agreed customs.
Clause 39 Magna Carta 1215…
No freeman shall be seized, or imprisoned, or disposed or outlawed, or in any way destroyed; nor will we condemn him, nor will we commit him to prison, excepting by the lawful judgement of his peers, or by the law of the land.
Saxon times and prior…
The resolution for a community need to secure order and safety resides historically within Saxon times.
Prior to this time, ‘Tribal’ custom and the needs of the local community meant that the people themselves were responsible for providing arrangements for those who broke tribal custom and law.
With the development of the Saxon ‘Tything’ system, however, a more formal structure began to take place with individuals becoming assigned as Tything men to protect the peace.
Henry II…
Henry II who ruled England from 1154-1189 established royal courts at Westminster and divided England into circuits, over which his judges travelled and tried the more important civil and criminal cases in county courts.
The role of Henrys judges was to bring together the conventional law they found in the different parts of the country to create one law that was ‘common’ for the whole nation.
