Which king strengthened royal power, created a more organized legal system (common law), set up traveling judges, and reduced the Church's control over secular courts?

• A. Edward I of England
• B. Henry II of England
• C. William II
• D. Stephen of Blois

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how a king centralized justice and reduced church control over secular matters. Henry II did exactly that. He built a more organized legal system by formalizing royal courts and standardizing procedures into a coherent body of law known as common law, rather than relying solely on local custom. He also sent traveling judges, the itinerant justices, to travel around the realm to hear cases and apply royal law evenly everywhere, which expanded access to royal justice and helped standardize legal practices across England. On top of that, he pressed to curb ecclesiastical power over secular courts, aiming to have royal authority prevail in many legal matters, a move that sparked conflict with Thomas Becket. While later kings like Edward I continued strengthening the monarchy and law, Henry II is the one most closely associated with creating a more systematic legal framework, deploying itinerant judges, and diminishing church control over secular courts.