26. Henry II Revolutionized the Legal System
Henry II thought delivering justice was a monarch’s key function. So he laid the foundations for the common law system that shaped England, and through it America and the Anglophone world With the help of his chancellor, Archbishop Thomas Becket, he revolutionized England by reorganizing its legal system. Henry eventually fell out with Becket when the latter objected to the king’s efforts to curb the clergy’s power and privileges. It ended with Becket’s murder in his own cathedral at the hands of Henry’s retainers, but while the king and chancellor were on good terms, they transformed England.
The Assize of Clarendon in 1166 established basic criminal justice procedures, courts, and prisons to hold those awaiting trial. Henry expanded royal judges’ role by granting them the power to settle disputes that used to be handled by other systems, such as ecclesiastical courts. That imposed judicial uniformity throughout England. Uniformity was furthered by Henry’s Eyre system of circuit courts, in which royal judges traveled around England to try criminal and civil cases. He also expanded juries’ role, and codified English law. His courts gave fast and clear verdicts, enriched the treasury, and extended royal influence and control.
