They
joined the barons to pressure him to sign the Magna Carta
correcting his abuses. For instance, since John had extracted many
heavy fines from barons by personally adjudging them blameworthy
in disputes with others, the barons wanted judgment by their peers
under the established law of the courts. In arms, the barons
forced John to sign the Magna Carta correcting his abuses.
- The Law -
No one, including the lord of a manor, may take land from anyone
else, for instance, by the customary process of distress, without
a judgment from the Royal Court. This did not apply to London,
where a landlord leasing or renting land could take distress in
his fee.
No one, including the lord of a manor, shall deprive an heir of
the land possessed by his father, i.e. his birthright.
A tenant may marry off a daughter unless his lord shows some just
cause for refusing to consent to the marriage. A tenant had to pay
an "aid" to his lord when the lord's daughter married, when the
lord's son was knighted, or when the lord's person was ransomed.
A man [or woman] may not will away his land, but he may sell it
during his lifetime.
The land of a knight or other tenant of a military fee is
inherited by his eldest son. The socage land of a free sokeman
goes by its ancient custom before the Norman Conquest.
If a man purchased land after his marriage, his wife's dower is
still one-third of the land he had when they married, or less if
he had endowed her with less.
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