English Common Law in the 15th Century

Timeline

1. 1101–1189Westminster · LondonHenry II's judicial reforms promoted itinerant justice and the centralization of the central courts; custom was gradually systematized through the filtering and recording of the royal courts, laying the foundation for the later common law tradition of precedent.
2. 1201–1399Palace of Westminster · LondonThe King's Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer developed a stable division of labor; case records such as the Year Books strengthened the binding force of precedent, and common law became the unified judicial language of the English realm.
3. c. 1461–1470England · EnglandDuring the reign of Edward IV the central courts largely continued to sit amid the warfare; land tenure, debt, and criminal cases were still tried under common law procedure, showing that the legal order was relatively independent of changes of royal power.