After the Thomas Beckett´s incident, Henry II feared an extreme sort of religious punishment just for himself, and took measures to prevent papal legates from entering his lands.
In the thirteenth century, there was a new legal culture and a revival of Roman Law, which tended to reduce women to the status of minors: a woman could not make contracts or plead in courts without a male representative and it was the bride´s father the one responsible for providing either lands, money or entire estates to a woman´s husband upon her marriage.
Henry and his chief administrator, Roger of Salisbury, redesigned the royal accounting system, known thereafter as ……..………….., and instituted the records of its annual audits known as pipe rolls. This system was a fundamental step forward in English administrative history.
By the end of the twelfth century, fewer knights went to war as a feudal duty to a lord. The knight was becoming more of a country gentleman, who paid a sum of money to the king in the place of his military service.
During the reign of Henry II, Pope Alexander even refused to speak to an Englishman for more than a week upon learning of Becket's martyrdom. Pressure arose on all sides; a type of religious punishment was threatened on the whole country, and then proclaimed.
During King John´s reign, the barons demanded that John sign a new document listing his and their feudal rights and obligations and that he abide by the by such contractual rights.
One of the main aims of Magna Carta was that no extraordinary taxes were to be imposed without consent of the Great Council.
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THE EXCHEQUER
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