Henry II's reforms
- Created by: MaisieBlyth
- Created on: 17-05-16 15:15
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- Henry II's reforms/ strengthening royal power.
- Finance
- Sent home all mercenaries
- Had been used by Stephan to attempt to maintain authority.
- Were expensive and disliked by the public.
- Reminted coinage twice, 1158, 1180
- Alternative currencys had sprung up during the anarchy before Henry's reign, for example Matilada's.
- Royal Demesne increased £8,000 to £25,000 by 1180.
- Reforms to the exchequer- fully functional by 1169.
- Carte Baronum 1166
- investigation into the number of knights each earl was owed and how many they owed in scutage.
- Changed the tax system so were now taxed of the number of knights owed by tenants not just the number they owed to the king.
- Made every knight swear allegiance to him.
- investigation into the number of knights each earl was owed and how many they owed in scutage.
- Recovered lands lost during the reign of Stephen.
- Sent home all mercenaries
- Barons
- Reduced the number of earldoms form 22 to 12.
- Stephen had increased the number of earldoms to increase revenue ?
- Decommissioned illegal castles and took back some into royal control.
- Under Stephen may barons had built themselves castles without royal consent.
- Sheriffs
- Replaced half the sheriffs by 1162
- Inquest of the sheriffs 22 of 29 sheriffs dismissed.
- Survey of the money ( collected tax (farm)) handled by sheriffs.
- Sheriffs took on a more investigative roll and instead of being local barons were more like civil servants.
- Reduced the number of earldoms form 22 to 12.
- Legal
- Introduced standardized practice and centralized the court system.
- Prevalence of judgment being reached by a sworn jury over ordeal.
- Itinerant kings justices traveled circuits round the country (eyers)
- Their judgment was carefully recorded and distributed.
- The kings court bench becoming the focal point of the justice system.
- Assizes of Clarendon (1166) and Northampton (1176)
- Introduced standardized practice and centralized the court system.
- Church.
- wanted to assert the hierarchy of the courts, secular over ecclesiastical.
- Attempted (but failed) this with the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164.
- Overall a large fail as issues of people getting off lightly for really bad crimes was not resolved.
- Attempted (but failed) this with the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164.
- Relations with the church very poor throughout Charles' reign, BECKET!- forced Charles to make several concessions to church power.
- Failed to win argument over the appointment of b.hops.
- wanted to assert the hierarchy of the courts, secular over ecclesiastical.
- Instablility during Stephen and Matilda's reign.
- Complete lack of royal authority, barons carved out their own little kingdoms and law was very corrupt etc.
- Clashes with family weaken royal power.
- Not allowing Young Henry or his other sons much power leads to the going to Louis VII for help, almost culminates in a war for England.
- Finance
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