How Far Did Henry Ii's Financial and Legal Reforms Strengthen the Monarchy?

Henry Plantagenet inherited a country in huge disarray following the Anarchy. Henry II is famous for his organisation and documentation, but he also made major developments in legal and financial sectors such as the new itinerant judges and the Assizes of Clarendon. The Dialogue of the Exchequer was the first in Europe of its kind. Although with modern insight the systems seem susceptible to corruption and fraud, it was very innovative and gave Henry much tighter control over England.

One of Henry's key achievements in law was the property reforms. One of the first assizes introduced was the Novel Disseisin in 1176; it said that all free men could sue to recover lost land. This was mainly to help people gain back lands they had lost during the civil war. It used 12 neighbours as a jury during the trial, to help establish a fair judgement. This introduction of juries into the legal system didn't only make it more fair, but also made people think Henry as a just and moral king. Another assize made in 1176 was the Mort d'Ancestor, which made it law for a man to inherit his father's property. In a trial, if no agreement was met, a Grand Assize was sent out to investigate the property and land. These 12 knights could enter any home and talk to locals about the case, and therefore introducing witnesses into law trials. Despite making property cases more just and unbiased, and therefore increasing the King's popularity, it also made barons feel persecuted. They had never been subject to any trials or investigation before the reforms, and felt they had no privacy.These were very powerful men, that could threaten the King's power. In addition, if these trials weren't concluded in court, often trials by ordeal were still used, leaving the decision to divine intervention- something we consider now as wholly inadequate. These assizes organised medieval property very well, and also established certain rules, making disputes more efficient to deal with. Despite the barons misgivings and last-case-scenario trials, most of the English public thought of the reforms as more just and fair. This made Henry's rule more stable amongst his people.

The reforms in the judicial laws and procedure vastly improved control over justice in England. Itinerant judges toured the country and brought the Kings court to every case in the country. This meant that everyone had an equal chance to the best justice, but also meant a more consistent judgement, as the same 'justices in eyre' made the decisions everywhere. These decisions were written on plea rolls and were the beginning of precedents in law. This made the legal system must more fair and efficient, as everyone got the same treatment for the same crime. Also, a jury of 12 local men were used to help decide on potential criminals in the area, and therefore who should be trialed. This introduced collective responsibility and helped prevent bias in who got a trial. However, there was still room for corruption. Even if these justiciars were more consistent, they still had to be fair and unbiased- the 12 local men did not take part in any of the decisions made, and were chosen by the sheriff. This meant the whole system still relied on the morality and fairness of the judge and sheriff. Also, these justice in eyre only came around to each town every 2 years- this could mean a long time to wait for a trial and justice. Writs from the Chancery had to be paid for, preventing the very poorest from accessing justice. Despite these setbacks of the new reforms, they were much more equitable, legitimate and consistent than the previous system. This didn't just increase Henry's power by popularity, but also with control as he could supervise the itinerant judges (who were often close friends of his) and therefore the whole justice system.

The plantagenet emperor needed to reform finance to help secure power in his huge kingdom. Henry brought back the ancient danegeld tax that bore no relevance to 12th century England, but did raise plenty of money. This did decrease popularity, as the English didn't want to be taxed. Henry also seized a lot of lost land back into royal hands. In 1154, the year he came to the Crown, there 24 earldoms. By 1180, there were only eleven. This reduced the amount of tenants-in-chief that would need paying, and therefore the crown received more profits directly. This money would help reinforce power but also majorly decreased the King's popularity amongst barons, who would have been rid of all their land and revenue. This