In medieval England and elsewhere in northwestern Europe the moot or assembly represented the first resort to law and government. An institution, through which a free man could obtain judgment and recompense, defend himself or seek to change the law, it encapsulated many of the features that today distinguish judicial and political process in north-western Europe. A collection of ten papers by a number of academic specialists, this volume presents a European perspective on the origin and evolution of medieval royal, judicial and popular assemblies. It is the first study in over a century to focus on this remarkable aspect of the early political process.
In medieval England and elsewhere in northwestern Europe the moot or assembly represented the first resort to law and government. An institution, through which a free man could obtain judgment and recompense, defend himself or seek to change the law, it encapsulated many of the features that today distinguish judicial and political process in north-western Europe. A collection of ten papers by a number of academic specialists, this volume presents a European perspective on the origin and evolution of medieval royal, judicial and popular assemblies. It is the first study in over a century to focus on this remarkable aspect of the early political process.