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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2019

Elizabeth Papp Kamali
Affiliation:
Harvard Law School, Massachusetts
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Summary

The introduction opens with the plaintive cry of a medieval English outlaw bemoaning the uncertainty of the common law. It then situates the book within the broader history of the concept of mens rea and describes the methodology to follow, with a particular emphasis on the juxtaposition of legal and literary texts. A summary of sources is followed by a brief introduction to the Anglo-Saxon and Angevin antecedents to jury trial for felony and a description of the shift from ordeal to jury trial. After a brief chapter summary, the introduction provides a primer in medieval English felony procedure geared toward readers not already familiar with medieval English criminal law. Using an invented homicide narrative, the introduction outlines the various paths a person accused of felony might choose in the aftermath of an alleged crime, as well as the different avenues open to those inclined to prosecute. While some of this introductory material will be too rudimentary for experienced historians of the common law, this basic foundation makes the book accessible to a broader audience.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Introduction
  • Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Harvard Law School, Massachusetts
  • Book: Felony and the Guilty Mind in Medieval England
  • Online publication: 18 July 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108670890.001
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  • Introduction
  • Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Harvard Law School, Massachusetts
  • Book: Felony and the Guilty Mind in Medieval England
  • Online publication: 18 July 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108670890.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Harvard Law School, Massachusetts
  • Book: Felony and the Guilty Mind in Medieval England
  • Online publication: 18 July 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108670890.001
Available formats
×