Kingship, Law, and Society: Criminal Justice in the Reign of Henry VThis book breaks new ground in the study of crime and law enforcement in late medieval England using the reign of Henry V as a detailed case study. Dr Powell considers the subject on three levels: legal theory - academic, governmental, and popular thinking about the nature of law; legal machinery - the framework of courts and their procedures; and legal practice - the enforcement of the law in the reign of Henry V. There exists at present no other work devoted to setting the legal system of this period in its social and political context. Rejecting the traditional view of late medieval England as chronically lawless and violent, Dr Powell emphasizes instead the structural constraints on royal power to enforce the law, and the King's dependence on the co-operation of local society for the maintenance of his peace. Public order relied less on the coercive powers of the courts than the art of political management and the use of procedures for conciliation and arbitration at local level. |
Contents
| 1 | |
PART I Law Justice and Kingship | 21 |
PART II The Machinery of Criminal Justice in Late Medieval England | 45 |
PART III The Enforcement of Criminal Justice in the Reign of Henry V | 115 |
Conclusion | 269 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
accused action active administration appear arbitration arrest Arundel assize attempt authority brought central Chronicle commissions common continued convicted coronation council court crime criminal Crown death defendants determined disorder dispute earl early Edward effect enforcement England English evidence felony Fifteenth Century France gentry Henry V's History Ibid included indictments issued John judges judicial juries jurisdiction justice king king's bench Lancastrian land late medieval later Lollard London Lord March McFarlane medieval medieval England middle ages offences Oldcastle Oxford pardon Parliament parties peace petition political presented procedure proceedings prosecution public order Putnam rebellion rebels records reign remained revolt Richard rolls royal served sessions shire Shropshire society Staffordshire Statute summoned superior eyre Talbot Thomas took treason trespass trial vols Wales