The document traces the development of legal and democratic practices from medieval England through the early modern period. In medieval England, common law varied locally and kings appointed royal judges to standardize legal decisions. King John's signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 established protections under law. The English parliament emerged in the late 13th century as a representative body that came to limit the power of the monarchy by controlling taxes and laws. Key modern legal concepts like habeas corpus and independent judiciaries have roots in these medieval and early modern English developments.

2.  The practices of Medieval England are the
foundations of many modern legal practices
 Representative government
 Habeas Corpus
 Independent Judiciaries

3.  Medieval Europe
 Weak monarchies
 Powerful nobility
 Mostly agricultural
 Common people
loyal to local rulers
 Knights were a
fearsome weapon
 Early Modern Europe
 Stronger monarchies
 Weaker nobility
 Rising importance of
trade
 Common people
loyal to the king
 Gunpowder weapons
make knights
obsolete

4.  In the 1100’s court decisions were based on
local customs and previous ruling which meant
that court decisions made in one part of
England could be different from another part –
This was known as Common Law

5.  King Henry II changed common law
 Henry appointed royal judges that would
make decisions that would apply all over the
country – As a result it was more likely that
people all over England would receive equal
treatment
 The royal judges were meant to be independent
from local politics, but not independent from
the royal courts
 US courts are independent from local
governments and most parts of federal
government – Independent Judiciaries

6.  In 1199, King Henry’s son, John became king of
England
 John fought and lost many wars which weakened
England financially
 John would tax nobles to finance the wars
 As a result England’s nobility became frustrated with
John’s policies

7.  The nobility told John that he
must recognize their rights.
 The nobility made a list of 63
rights called the Magna Carta
and forced John to sign in
1215
 The Magna Carta guaranteed
protection under law and
trial by jury
 It became an example for
later democratic
developments in England
and around the world
For a trivial offence, a free man shall be fined
only in proportion to the degree of his offense
And for a serious offence correspondingly, but
Heavily as to deprive him of his livelihood.
No free man shall be seized or imprisoned
or stripped of his rights or possessions, or
outlawed or exiled…in any other way, nor will
Proceed with force against him, or send others
To do so except by the lawful judgment of his
equals or by the law of the land.
To no one will we sell, to now one deny or
delay right or justice. - Magna Carta 1215

8.  1264- English nobles removed King Henry III
from the throne after he broke an agreement
with them
 They replaced him with a group called a
parliament – which included nobility, high
ranking church officials, and representatives
from cities and towns

9.  1265 – Edward, Henry’s III son, took power,
but he did not get rid of parliament because he
needed political support
 1295- a parliament was assembled that was
widely considered the first representative
parliament – Model Parliament
 Representatives from every county, district,
and city were assembled
 By 1307, parliament became an important part
of English government

10.  Parliament was and is made up of two houses:
the House of Commons, and the House of
Lords
 Parliament would eventually control taxes and
pass laws. This limited the power of the
monarchy. Kings could not pass laws or collect
taxes without parliament’s approval

11.  Independent judiciaries, cities, rights, and
democratic forms of government took centuries
to develop
 Independent Judiciaries:
 In many countries the courts are independent from
other branches of government and can make sure
there is a balance of power

12.  One legal right that was probably developed in
Medieval England is Habeas Corpus:
 The right people have not to be imprisoned
unlawfully. In modern courts habeas corpus
requires authorities to provide legal proof for why a
person is being imprisoned

13.  A government elected by the people to
represent their interests
 Representative government which try to
include all members of society is a relatively
recent development – Most men in England
could not vote until 1800’s, in the US women
couldn’t vote until 1920, most African
Americans were prevented from voting until
the 1960’s.