Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
The form of oaths for compurgation were specified for theft of
cattle, unsoundness of property bought, and money owed for a sale.
The defendant denied the accusation by sweating that "By the Lord,
I am guiltless, both in deed and counsel, and of the charge of
which ... accuses me." A compurgator swore that "By the Lord, the
oath is clean and unperjured which ... has sworn.". A witness swore
that "In the name of Almighty God, as I here for ... in true witness
stand, unbidden and unbought, so I with my eyes oversaw, and with
my ears overheard, that which I with him say."
If a theow man was guilty at the ordeal, he was not only to give
compensation, but was to be scourged thrice, or a second geld be
given; and be the wite of half value for theows.
- - - Chapter 4 - - -
- The Times: 1066-1100 -
William came from Normandy to conquer England. He claimed that the
former King, Edward, the Confessor, had promised the throne to him
when they were growing up together in Normandy, if Edward became
King of England and had no children. The Conquerer's men and
horses came in boats powered by oars and sails. The conquest did
not take long because of the superiority of his military expertise
to that of the English. He organized his army into three groups:
archers with bows and arrows, horsemen with swords and stirrups,
and footmen with hand weapons. Each group played a specific role
in a strategy planned in advance. The English army was only
composed of footmen with hand weapons such as spears and shields.
They fought in a line holding up their shields to overlap each
other and form a shieldwall. The defeat of the English was thought
to have been presaged by a comet.
At Westminster, he made an oath to defend God's holy churches and
their rulers, to rule the whole people subject to him with
righteousness and royal providence, to enact and hold fast right
law, and to utterly forbid rapine and unrighteous judgments. This
was in keeping with the traditional oath of a new king.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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