Henry de Bracton

Henry of Bracton (c. 1210 – c. 1268), also known as Henry de Bracton, Henricus Bracton, Henry Bratton, and Henry Bretton, was an <a href="/facts/English_people/IeI9c7BK">English</a> <a href="/facts/Catholic_priest/8sYy5Tk6">cleric</a> and <a href="/facts/Jurist/XHou4sAV">jurist</a>.
He is famous now for his writings on <a href="/facts/Law/luzxWkg0">law</a>, particularly De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliæ ("On the Laws and Customs of England") and his ideas on <a href="/facts/Mens_rea/3LMHsKwp">mens rea</a> (criminal intent). According to Bracton, it was only through the examination of a combination of action and intention that the commission of a criminal act could be established.
He also wrote on <a href="/facts/Monarchy/Kg1vY7tt">kingship</a>, arguing that a ruler should be called king only if he obtained and exercised power in a lawful manner.
In his writings, Bracton manages to set out coherently the law of the royal courts through his use of categories drawn from <a href="/facts/Roman_law/m7peoAbG">Roman law</a>, thus incorporating into English law several developments of <a href="/facts/Medieval_Roman_law/h4HG9tdG">medieval Roman law</a>.

Henry de Bracton open-in-new

Henry de Bracton