Medieval Law & Magna Carta

How did trial by ordeal and trial by battle work?

  • Most common ways to decide person’s innocence/guilty of offense

  1. Trial by ordeal

  2. Trial by combat

  3. Trial by water

  4. Trial by fire

  • Trial by ordeal common in Anglo-Saxon (England)

  • Trial by combat later introduced to Normans (France)

  • Believed that outcome of trials, rested in God’s hands

  • Reasoned that God would punish guilt & save innocent


Trial by Ordeal:

  • Person be subjected to torture

  • Includes submerged into water, forced to swallow poison, carry hot iron bar for certain distance

  • If person died from ordeal/injury from ordeal became infected, judge ruled person guilty

  • Gradually became less used

  • Outlawed in 16th century (1500)


Trial by Battle:

  • Person charged with crime, fights person accusing them of crime

  • Fights carried out with weapons (Ex. Swords & axes)

  • Whoever won, declared right

  • If loser still alive, generally be hanged

  • Only noblewoman had right for trial by battle

  • Could select champion to fight on her behalf


How were medieval courts organized?:

  • Various courts (Ex. Manor, royal & church courts) looked after different legal matters


Henry II of England and the Murder of Thomas Becket:

  • Pope had authority over kings & queens in religious matters

  • Disputes between monarchs happened, especially when who had power over the people

  • In 1164, King Henry wanted all members of clergy convicted of criminal offences be handed over to royal courts for sentencing

  • Felt that sentence received in Church courts were too light

  • Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury refused to sign documents giving these powers to king

  • Even though he was King Henry’s close friend, he refused

  • Also had support of other clergy in England Church

  • To punish Thomas, Henry took away all his property & forced him to flee to France

  • 6 yrs later, King Henry let Thomas return to England as head of English Church

  • Not long after, Thomas angered king

  • Henry said to have complained about Thomas, wanting to get rid of him

  • 4 knights overheard and did what he said

  • Rode to Canterbury, on Dec. 29, 1170, Thomas killed at foot of altar in Canterbury Cathedral

  • Though King Henry denied intention of killing Thomas, had to submit to public flogging as punishment

  • Promised to not interfere in Church courts

  • 2 yrs later, Thomas canonized

  • Quickly became most popular saint in England, & Canterbury Cathedral became country’s greatest religious shrine


What were the powers of the medieval monarch?

  • Feudal society & Catholic Church had strict hierarchies

  • In Middle Ages, many believed that ruled by a monarch was part of God’s plan


The Balance of Power

  • Medieval monarchs had to power to make & change laws, collect taxes, choose advisors, & give titles & estates

  • Monarch’s power wasn’t unlimited

  • Also had to obey feudal contract

  • King kept in check by small, wealthiest and powerful group of nobles (barons)

  • If monarch broke contract, barons could feel justified in declaring war on him

  • Barons had large armies, string castles & vassals to fight for them

  • Royal army, needed time to collect knights from all over kingdom

  • Since barons posed real threat, monarchs made great efforts to fulfill feudal obligations to barons

  • Also had to treat them with respect ( people were easily offended

  • Slight insults considered blot on family’s honour if not avenged


King John and the Magna Carta

  • King John ruled England from 1199 - 1216 (during reign, extremely unpopular)

  • When he lost war against French King (Philip II), had to give up land in France

  • When he argued with pope for new archbishop, pope excommunicate (cutting him off from church) him and placed England under interdict (suspending religious services)

  • No one in country could properly be marry, baptized / buried

  • King John forced to give in, but oppressive taxes & other abuses of power continued to anger barons

  • By 1214, John so hated that barons, townspeople & churchmen rebelled against him

  • On June 15, 1215, barons forced John to sign new terms of power which were in document (Magna Carta = Great Charter)

  • No one can be arrested / thrown into prison without proper trial.

  • Today known as “due process”


Examples of the Magna Carta