Describe the legal reforms enacted during the reigns of Henry the 2nd and John the first of England. (In a paragraph or Two if possible)

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History

Jaslene Rogers

28 February, 02:01

Describe the legal reforms enacted during the reigns of Henry the 2nd and John the first of England. (In a paragraph or Two if possible)

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Jaida Whitehead · Answer 1

Henry II established courts in various parts of England and was the first to institute the actual practice of granting magistrates the power to make legal decisions on a wide range of civil matters on behalf of the Crown. During his reign, the first written legal text that lays the foundations of what is now the Common Law was produced. Through Clarendon's Criminal Court (1166), jury trials became the norm. The assurance of justice and territorial rights was subsequently reinforced by the Criminal Court of Northampton in 1176, based on the agreements previously made in Clarendon. This reform is one of the greatest contributions of Henry II to the social history of England.

His son, John I, faced an uprising by many of the barons of England, who were unhappy with his fiscal policies and his treatment to many of the most powerful nobles. As a result, the Magna Carta, the first charter of rights in the history of England, was signed.