1. Henry II and the Common Law

2. Henry II
Inherited: The duchies of Normandy & Brittany, the counties of Maine, Tourmaine & Anjou… from Dad
And the Kingdom of England from Mom.
From marrage to Elanor:
the Duchy of Aquitaine
He is King of England and the Great Lord of 2/3 of France!

3. Henry makes England even more Centralized
He creates the “Common law” one set of laws for all people in England!
Lords may only try minor crimes…others must wait to be tried by a traveling royal judge who holds an “Assize”
At the Assize a Grand Jury would hear testimony and decide who to accuse.
Then there would be a Trial by Ordeal or Combat and the Judge decided on punishment.

4. Interdiction Henry II tried to control the Church
…Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, an old friend, resisted!
Four of Henry’s knights murder him in the cathedral during mass
Henry denies he gave the order but the Pope places an Interdiction on England
Priests are banned from holding mass or blessing anything!

5. Petite Jurys
Since a priest could no longer be part of a trial, Trials by Combat or Ordeal could no longer be done
Henry II replaced it with trials where a
Petite Jury
Of 9 to 12 men would decide guilt
The Modern Jury System is born!