Early Medieval Justice $c.1000-1215$

Before 1066, Anglo-Saxon communities handled crime themselves through clever systems like tithings - groups of ten men who kept each other in line. If someone committed a crime, the whole village would join a "hue and cry" to chase down the criminal, making law enforcement everyone's responsibility.

The Norman Conquest in 1066 changed everything. William I kept some old laws but added brutal new ones like the murdrum fine - if a Norman was killed and no one was caught, the entire village paid up. The Normans also introduced Forest Laws, making it illegal for ordinary people to hunt deer or gather wood from royal forests.

Trial by ordeal was the bizarre way people proved their innocence - think dunking hands in boiling water or eating blessed bread. The Church's influence grew stronger in the 1100s, introducing trial by combat and offering sanctuary where criminals could hide in churches for 40 days.

Key Turning Point: In 1166, Henry II's Assize of Clarendon revolutionised justice by creating royal judges and introducing juries, laying the foundation for our modern court system.