Legal Definitions - Articuli super Cartas

Articuli super Cartas refers to a significant English statute enacted in the year 1300. This law was designed to reinforce and expand upon the principles established in two earlier foundational documents: the Magna Carta and the Forest Charter. Essentially, it served as a legislative act that strengthened existing legal protections and rights, particularly concerning the limits of royal power and the administration of justice in medieval England.

Here are some examples illustrating the context and impact of the Articuli super Cartas:

• Imagine a scenario in 14th-century England where a local royal official, such as a sheriff, attempts to seize a freeman's property without proper legal justification, claiming it is for the King's immediate needs. The freeman, or their community, could invoke the principles reinforced by the Articuli super Cartas. This statute, by confirming and strengthening Magna Carta's provisions on due process and property rights, would provide a legal basis to challenge such arbitrary actions, underscoring that even royal officials were bound by established law, not just the King's whim.

• Consider a commoner living near a royal forest who faces excessive fines or harsh penalties from a forest warden for minor infractions, or is denied traditional rights to use forest resources (like collecting fallen wood) that they believed were protected. The Articuli super Cartas specifically "enlarged many particulars" of the Forest Charter. This meant it could have clarified or strengthened the rights of commoners regarding forest use, or placed further restrictions on the arbitrary power of forest officials, thereby offering a legal recourse against such abuses and promoting fairer administration of forest law.

• In a later historical period, such as the 17th century during debates about the powers of the monarchy and Parliament, legal scholars and parliamentarians might reference the Articuli super Cartas. They would cite it as a crucial historical precedent, demonstrating how earlier statutes built upon foundational charters like Magna Carta to progressively define and limit royal authority. This illustrates the statute's role as a building block in the continuous evolution of constitutional principles and the rule of law in England.