Description
Book SynopsisNew interpretations of the effect of Magna Carta and other aspects of the reign of King John. Magna Carta marked a watershed in the relations between monarch and subject and has long been the subject of constitutional and political historical writing. This volume has a different focus: what was the social, economic, legal, and religious background to the Charter - what was England like between 1199 and 1215? And, no less important, how was King John perceived by those who actually knew him? Studies here analyse earlier Angevin rulers and theeffect of their reigns on John's England, the causes and results of the increasing baronial fear of the king, the "managerial revolution" of the English church, and the effect of the ius commune on English common law; theyalso explore the burgeoning economy of the early thirteenth century and its effect on English towns, the background to discontent over the royal forests which eventually led to the Charter of the Forest, the effect of Magna Cartaon widows and property, and the course of criminal justice before 1215. The volume ends with the first critical edition of an open letter from King John explaining his position in the matter of William de Briouze. Contributors: James A. Brundage, David Crook, David Crouch, John Gillingham, Barbara A. Hanawalt, John Hudson, Janet S. Loengard, James Masschaele, R. V. Turner.
Trade ReviewA collection that is bound to become the definitive work on the Magna Carta. [...] This masterful work represents scholarship at its best and is a true pleasure to read. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *
A fine collection, carefully and indexed, offering much that is new. * THE MEDIAEVAL JOURNAL *
Table of ContentsIntroduction - Janet S. Loengard England in 1215: An Authoritarian Angevin Dynasty Facing Multiple Threats - R V Turner The Anonymous of Béthune, King John and Magna Carta - John B Gillingham Baronial Paranoia in King John's Reign - David Crouch The Forest Eyre in the Reign of King John - David Crook The Managerial Revolution in the English Church - James A Brundage Magna Carta, the ius commune, and English Common Law - John Hudson Justice without Judgment: Criminal Prosecution before Magna Carta - Barbara A Hanawalt What Did Magna Carta Mean to Widows? - Janet S. Loengard The English Economy in the Age of Magna Carta - James Masschaele The Complaint of King John against William de Briouze [c. September 1210] - David Crouch
