Define the following terms:
-Assize of Clarendon

Question

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The Answer is The Assize of Clarendon was a significant legal reform enacted in 1166 under the reign of King Henry II of England. It was named after Clarendon Palace, where the assize, or council, was held to establish the reform. The Assize of Clarendon is considered a foundational document in the development of the English common law system.

The primary purpose of the Assize of Clarendon was to standardize the legal procedures used throughout the kingdom and to strengthen the king's control over the administration of justice. Before this reform, the administration of justice was largely in the hands of local lords, which led to inconsistencies and sometimes a lack of enforcement.

Key provisions of the Assize of Clarendon included:

1. The establishment of royal justices (itinerant judges) who traveled around the country to hear cases, thereby ensuring that the king's laws were applied uniformly across the land.

2. The introduction of the jury system for the investigation of crimes. The assize required that 12 free men from each hundred (a local administrative division) and four men from each township were to be sworn in to inform on crimes committed in their area. This was the precursor to the modern grand jury system.

3. The requirement that all counties and hundreds were to be responsible for detaining and presenting criminals to the royal justices. This helped to centralize the process of law enforcement.

4. The codification of what constituted serious crimes, such as robbery, murder, and theft, and the outlining of specific procedures for handling and trying these cases.

5. The stipulation that ecclesiastical authorities were to cooperate with royal officials in the prosecution of crimes, which reduced the Church's previous dominance over legal matters.

The Assize of Clarendon was a crucial step in the evolution of the English legal system, as it reduced the influence of local customary law and brought more legal authority under the crown. It also laid the groundwork for the development of a more uniform and centralized system of justice that would continue to evolve over the centuries.

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