New laws and systems of justice helped people live cooperatively in the feudal system. Punishment was severe to deter people from breaking the laws or causing trouble. Trial by ordeal or battle were common methods of justice. Three levels of courts emerged: manor courts, royal courts and church courts, each looking after different matters. For most people, the manor court was their only experience with the law. Watch the videos below to see how justice was delivered during medieval times. At times, the authority of the Church clashed with that of the monarch, as in the case of Henry II and Thomas Becket. Women continued to have few legal rights unless they were a widow. The power of the monarchy was not unlimited as he had to obey the feudal contract and respect the wealthier nobles of the kingdom. Even the king could be overthrown if he acted unfairly towards his vassals. This was what happened to King John which caused him to be overthrown causing the Magna Carta to be created that set limits on royal authority. Check out the video below about the creation of the Magna Carta. Read and take notes on pages 160-165 and use that information to create a comparison chart of the various courts and to write the paragraph comparing the different courts. You also need to answer questions #1 on page 165 and #4 with a paragraph explaining "What were the sources of law and power in medieval society?" page 165.

Law and Power in Medieval Society Quiz
Students will write a quiz based on this section of reading in the textbook. You will need to know the following:

• Vocabulary from this section
• Sources of power in medieval society
• Trials by ordeal and battle (how it was used, who used it)
• Medieval Courts - organization, what crimes, what processes, what kinds of sentences
• Church's power in society
• Monarch's power in society
• Magna Carta - what it was, why it was created, what impact did it have on society
• What were the sources of law and power in medieval society?