The Restoration of Royal Authority 1154-66 Flashcards
What was Henry II’s main strengths at his acension in 1154
- Controlled nearly half of france
- Church suppoted his acension
- Treaty of Winchester in 1153 guaranteed peace and alliances
What were the issues threatening Royal Authority upon Henry’s acension
- Justice system had broken down
- Exchequer broke down with barons minting own coins
- Overmighty barons encroaching on royal domain and builiding adulterine castles
- Church had been set free to do what they wished
- Loss of lands in Scotland and Wales
When did Henry invade Wales during this period
1157 invaded Gwyynedd for Owain’s submission but it changed little
1158 invaded Deheurbarth for Rhys’ submission and again in 1163 when he temporarily stripped of him of his lands
What was the challenge in Wales upon Henry II acension and how did Henry solve this
Owain of Gwynedd in North and Rhys ap Gruffud in South made significant gains during the Anarchy
In July 1163 got submission from Rhys + Owain as well as hostages
What was the result of Henry II tough terms he imposed on the Welsh princes after recieving submission from them in Jully 1163
They united and rebelled in 1165 and Henry couldnt stop them
What was the Challenge facing Henry in Scotland upon acension
He had promised David I Northumbria upon his coronation
How did Henry solve this challenge in Scotland upon his acension and what effect did this have
He made Malcom IV perform homage and surrender the claim, thus Malcolm got the earl of Huntingdon
This bounded him to Henry through feudal obligations and made threatening northern england dangerous for him. He even ended up serving on Henry’s Toulouse Campaign in 1159 where he was knighted
What was the challenge of baronial power upon Henry’s coronation
- the strong military power of Barons through mercenaries
- Purpestures on royal demense and adulterine castles built
- need of competent trustworthy chief justicars
What happened to William of Yypres
Henry retired Stephen’s military commander to Flanders in 1157
How did Henry deal with the threat of William of Boulonge and Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester
- Seized castles of Henry in 1555
- Seized castles of William in 1157 as a consequence of a rivalry between Hugh Bigod that threatend to spiral out of control
How did Henry solve the problem of Baronial Power upon his coronation and an example
- Ordered all Flemish Mercenaries to go home
- Ordered all land gained through purprestures be restored and destroy all adulterine castles e.g. Roger Earl of Hereford son was disinherited
- He also took the land of potential enemies such as Henry of Blois and William of Boulonge
- Appointed Robert of Beaumont , Earl of Leicester, and Richard de Lucy as chief justicars
What was the challenge of Royal Finance upon Henry II coronation
- Royal income had fallen by ⅔ under Stephens Reign
- Exchequer System had collapsed
- Currency lost value with barons minting their own
Who was Nigel Bishop of Ely
Had been at heart of exchequer system during Henry I
Highly educated by sone of the finest mathematicians of Europe
How did Henry II solve the problem of Royal Finance
- put in under control of the experienced Bishop Nigel of Ely
- In 1158 minted new coins with Henry II’s name and distinctive ‘cross and crosslets design’; ⇑ Royal authority + confidence
- Undertook Carte Baronum
What was the Carte Baronum
Undertaken in 1166, dedmanded all barons to send him writing the name of their tenants and how much knght service each of them owed
How did Henry II show off his wealth to the french court
sent Beckett to paris in 1158 to show off wealth
What was a betrothment designed to restore peace with Henry and Louis VII
Arranged marriage of Magaret to Henry in 1158 with dowry as the vixen
What did Louis VII do to prevent Henry’s advance
Prevented invasion of Toulouse in 1159
What did Henry II do to get revenge on Louis VII stopping the invasion
He got a papal dispensation allowing the marriage of Henry and Margaret to gain the Vexin and it’s formidable castle of Gisors
what was the problem with sheriffs in 1154 and how did Henry II stop this
They were becoming hereditary posts
in 1155 he dismissed ⅔ of sherrifs
and again in 1162 he dismissed ½ of the sheriffs
What shows the growth of Royal authority by Henry II in the form of documentation
surviving documents grew from 40 per year to 120 per year
What was the effect of the returnable writ
sherrifs, justices and outcome was named which increased accountability
What was the 1166 Assize of Clarendon
The Assize of Clarendon which established:
- hunts for criminals
- removed expulsion of sheriffs by nobles
- petty assizes (novel dissein, darrein presentment)
What was the novel dissein
could request to recover dispossesed land
What was the darrein presentment
when plantiff was unlawfully deprived of priesthood
Why were the petty assizes popular
Intiated by a writ that could be pruchased from the Chancery and followed a simple,standardised process led by local sheriff
What roles did abbots and bishops play in Medieval society
- major landholders
- justice-in-eyre
- judges
- chancery and the exchequer
what was the problem of appointments in medieval society Henry II faced
Henry wanted to only appoint those who he trusted
while
Growing european movement to limit secular influence
How did the influence of the Church grow during the ‘Anarchy’
- royal control on access to papal legates were relaxed
- growth of canon (church) law
- bishops elected w/o approval
Who was appointed as Chief Justicar upon de Lucy’s retirement
Ranulf Glanvill
What did Ranulf Glanvill write
the treatise and customs of the kingdom of england- referred to as the Glanvill
Who was appointed as treasurer by Henry II
Richard FitzNigel
Overseeing the crucial transfer of funds to the King’s Chamber
What did Richard Fitz Nigel write
The Dialogue of the Exchequer
What did the Dialogue of the Exchequer describe
- twice a year; treasury, chancery, chamber and constables met with inner council to coincide with twice yearly submissions bys heriffs
- Audits of sheriffs accounts were writted up in the pipe rolls
What was the Carte Baronum
Undertaken in 1166 determined wether a baron had more knights enfeoffed than the no. of knights service owed.
How much did Henry II borrow between 1155-66 and to do what
£12,000 in total
about £600 yearly from the Flemish merchant WIlliam Cade
Raise mercenary armies quickly and reassert his authority among his barons
What was the servitum debitum and what should it equal
the quota of knights owed by the thenant in chief for the kings service
servitum debitum (should) = knights on domain + knights enfeoffed
How was the Carte Baronum a win win situation for the king
if knights enfeoffed>servitum debitum. then servitum debitum would be raised
if servitum debitum>knights enfeoffed. then the king would have the servitum debitum retained
How much of the population was the ‘clergy’
about a 1/5 of the population
How did Church Power advance during the Anarchy
- royal control on access to papal legates and access to Rome relaxed
- Growth of canon law
- Bishops elected w/o approval
What is an an example of Henry II not being able to control appointments
election of Bartholomew to Bishop of Exeter on Theobald of Bec’s word alone
What is an example of the ecclesiastical courts and secular courts being in conflict
- Phillipe de Broi acquitted of murder of knight
- then insulting justice of king and recieving ‘light punishment’ of public whipping
What is an example of Henry II removing the power of dangerous barons and potential rivals to the throne near the start of his reign
Seizing castles of Henry of Blois, William of Boulonge and Hugh Bigod
How did Henry II restore royal authority through land control
Created no new earldoms and allowed half to lapse: 12 by 1200
1154 royal castles 1 in 5 → 1214 1 in 2
What was the 1170 Inquest of the Sheriffs
Inquiry into malpractice of local government
What were the results of the 1170 Inquest of the Sherrifs
- Fired ⅔ of sherriffs
- Majority that remained were members of the chamber or the Exchequer
- Undermined links between barons and sheriffs as most were ministeriales
What were ministeriales
a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility
Who were ‘court-holders’ and ‘court-suitors’
court-holders = power to convene a court
court suitors = those who are obliged to attend and pass judgement
What were the key courts prior to Henry II
The Kings Court
The Shire Court
The Hundred Court
The Lords Court
Ecclesiastical Court
What was the Kings Court
Could hear felonies and royal pleas
What were the shire courts
- Sheriff presided over the court
- Covered royal announcements, land transactions, land disputes and violent/theft
What were the Hundred Courts
- Court presided over by baliff, land owners obliged to attend
- special sessions would be held bieniannly where tithings were checked
What were the Lord’s Courts
- Where disputes between men in lordship’s land could be settled
- Venues for important announcements and counsel for lord
What was Frankalmoin (free alms)
Alms given by a layman to the Church for remission of sins
What was socage
land held from the lord in return for money payment or duties
What was a lease
Land held in return for periodic payment over a specific term- often a lifetime
What was feudal tenure
The ‘Fief’ is held by the grantee (‘Vassal’) in return for services to the grantor (‘the lord’). The grantee will pay homage to the grantor
What was Subinfeudation
the process where by the grantee (vassal) grants away their land to a sub-tenant, created layer of knights under barons
What was relief
a payment made to the feudal overlord for the privelege and homage performed by the new vassal
What was the problem with proof in 1135
proof was not easy to get; cases swung on testimony
How did trial by ordeal interact with justice in 1135
Rarely used, seen as more of a detterent to make people settle outside.
What was the King’s Bench
where 5 members of the royal council would permanently preside on legal matters full time - became effective supreme court
What was the Common Bench
cases of civil law could heard infront of the King’s justices
What was justices-in-eyre
sent justices to tour circuits and hear cases, with each visitation called an ‘eyre’
What were ‘general eyres’
When all cities were visited simultaneously
What was the ‘articles of the eyre’
a list establishing the cases to be heard, such as:
- ‘pleas of the crown’
- ‘malefactors’
- land disputes
- wardships
What was the effect of the Justices in Eyre
Combination of a nationwide royal court and sharing of judgement allowed ro evolution of a Common Law
The English legal system was still reliant upon ______ of local men in both civial and criminal cases
juries
How did the Angevins systemise practice in courts
- made 12 knights swore in to prepare answers to the ‘articles of the eyre’ and arrest those suspected of involvement
How were writs standardised under Henry II and what effect did this have
made to develop ‘a core of writs to be reproduced in set form for set stituations’
protected tenants from claims w/o writs and royal authority more pervasive
What made writs have more accountability
Writs were made returnable - the decision and names of people involved were written down and present it to the eyre
What were ‘plea rolls’
recorded details of cases heard before them
What are ‘eyre rolls’
recorded cases heard, judgements and money collected
What were ‘feet of fines’
records of land disputes and outcomes heard in royal courts
What is a chirograph
a medieval document, which has been written in duplicate, triplicate or very occasionally quadruplicate on a single piece of parchment
Whatr was the ‘Treatise on the Laws and Customs of England’ (the Glanvill)
a rulebook on standardised writs and how they were to be used by the chief justiciar from 1179 Ranulf Glanvill
What were ‘Royal Pleas’
Certain offences were made triable only by king; treason, fradulent concealement of treaure trove and breah of the kings peace (felonies)
What were ‘trespasses’
lessor offences to be tried in sheriff or lord’s court
What measure was introduced to increase the power of royal justices
if someone was accussed of breaching the king’s peace they could be held in custody until the visitation of an eyre court
How did punishments and method of trial change
- Trial by battle considered if no clear verdict
- use of oaths fell into decline
- Punishments for breaching kings peace was execution/mutilation
- those who fled were outlawed
- little changed in method
What was the aims of the Assizes of Clarendon, 1166
To rid localities of undesirable elements and place responsibility on local comunities to identify wrongdoers
How di the Assize of Clarendon 1166 operate
getting 12 men of the hundred/ 4 men of the village to identify, on oath, those accused of robbery, murder, theft or being an accomplice to such crimes
Ordeal by water was used to prove guilt
What did the Assize of Northampton in 1776 instruct as an extension to Clarendon
- instructed the loss of a hand or foot if ordeal found them guilty
- even if not guilty, if evidence of their ill-repute was overwhelimg they were banished
What were assizes
Developed to deal with issues over land holding following the Anarchy and the Second Crusade
What were petty assizes and what were they called
Assizes to do with possesion of the land; not actual ownership. They were:
- Novel disseisen*
- Mort d’Ancestor*
- Utrum*
- Darrein Presentment*
What was Novel disseisen
(recent dispossession) deal with claims of those who had lost their land w/o a court judgement
What was Mort d’Ancestor
dealt with denial of rightful inheritance
What was Utrum
Dealt with church lands and wether it was held free of service by a church or layman
What was Darrein Presentment
(last presentation) determined who had the right to appoint a priest to a church
What do all the ‘petty assizes’ have in common
Plantiff would require a royal writ to present to the sheriff who would ensure everyone shows up to court.
A jury would assess the claims and pass a judgement on oath. If unsuccessfull a heavy fine was charged.
Only dealt with freemen
How did disputes with ‘ownership’ or ‘right’ to the land proceed
Used a standardised ‘writ of right’ to make a claim
How would a lord defend a ‘writ of right’
- trial by battle
- The Grand Assize - case brought to royal court. sheriff call up 4 knights who elected 12 local knights to decide who had better right to land
What were the main impacts of the judicial reforms
- huge increase in volume of legal business that came under royal justice
- speed and clarity of land procedures very popular
- Standardisation of justice
- King was untouched by reforms; tyranny?
How wealthy was the Church of England and how much land did they hold
CofE was v wealthy; since Norman Consequence held one quarter of land in England and by mid-12th Century this had grown through donations
How wealthy was the Church of England and how much land did they hold
CofE was v wealthy; since Norman Consequence held one quarter of land in England and by mid-12th Century this had grown through donations
How did Henry seek to exploit the Church’s wealth
- Thus Hnery II was keen to prolong vacancies when bishops/abbots died so the revneue went to the king
- Henry II also sought to exploit the Church’s wealth through imposition of scutage on prelates themselves
- Henry also demaanded ‘gifts’ from the Church as well as the rest of society
How much was the total paid in ‘gifts’ in 1159 from bishops and abbots respectively
£2233 from the bishops and £904 from the abbots
Why did Henry wish to restore relations with Flanders after in 1153 Thierry Count of Flanders supported Louis against Henry causing him to temporarly lose the vital castle of Vernon
- Economic reasons; England and Flanders had a lucrative relationship
- Political reasons; contain Louis influence while he managed England and other territories
What was the trade between England and Flanders like
- World trade was financially lucrative to both as English wool was shipped to the towns of Flanders such as Arras and Saint-Omer to be spun into cloth
- Flanders also imported English grain
How did Henry restore relations with Flanders
Death of William of Boulonge in 1159 allowed Henry to grant Thierry’s younger son Matthew, Boulonge through a marriage to Stephen’s daughter Mary
What did the 1163 treaty between Flanders and England allow for
provided the English King with 1000 knights from Flanderr for 500 marks per year
What did problems in Normandy revolve around
Defence and hence control of the Vexin to defend Rouen and also be able to threaten Paris
How did Henry gain control of the Vexin in 1160
Henry picked Alexander III as the true pope when Pope Adrian VI died so in gratitude Alexander III gave a potential dispensation in November 1160 giving Henry the Vexin
What happened to the Norman Church during the Anarchy
- The Norman Church broke free during the Anarchy and took advantage of Clerical freedoms being taken for granted in the rest of France
- Popes regularly visited French school that a potent source of new ideas about freedom from secular control
What did the Norman Church regard itself a part of
The Norman Church regarded itself as part of the French Church
What did the Norman Church regard itself a part of
The Norman Church regarded itself as part of the French Church
How did Henry gain control of Brittany for his son Geoffrey
- Henry supported Conan VI’s overthrow of his stepfather in 1156; leading to Henry II’s own brother becoming Count of Nantes in the south of the Duchy
- When Geoffrey died in 1158 Henry took control of nAntes
- Henry arranged Conan’s marriage and dominated the Breton Church by apponting the archbishop of Dol, choosing the loyal Norman Roger du Hommet
- In 1166 Henry sent his forces and arranged for Conan’s daughter and heir Constance to marry his son Geoffrey
How far did the Duke of Acquitaine’s tangible power go
Control of Poitou was tangible to the Duke but outside of this were resisted and resented
How did Henry deal with Toulouse
- In 1150s Henry attempted to resstore authority in Bery and Auvergnee but Toulouse became the key target
- June 1159 Henry marched with a very large army but Count Raymond V resissted with Louis VII
What was the aftermath of the 1159 Toulouse Campaign
- Henry made siginificant gains such as Cahors and the Quercy region but campaign was a filure
- Henry maintained miltiary pressure through allies such as Alfonso II of Aragon
- Worsened relations with Louis
How did Henry interact with Gascony
- Henry didn’t show much interest in Gascony with Ducal officials only prominent in the Bayonne and the Garonne valley
- Henry used it to secure the support of neighbouring Spanish allies
Why did Henry consider the conquest of Ireland and discussed it in 1155 at the council of Winchester
- Henry was looking for land for his youngest and favourite brother William who was w/o inheritance
- Ireland was deeply politically fragmented
- There was strong support from the Church as the Archbishop of Canterbury claimed primacy over the Irish Church while the English Pope Adrian IV was in favour to reform the Irish Church to the Latin Church
What did Henry use John of Salisbury for
to gain the Laudabiliter to have the pope’s blessing to invade Ireland
Why was Ireland not conquered in this period
The project came to little at this point as there were more pressing situation and William died childless in 1164
