Outlawry, Governance, and Law in Medieval England evaluates the role of exclusionary practices, namely outlawry, in law and governance in England from the tenth through the thirteenth centuries. Traditional historical narratives dismiss exile, outlawry, and banishment as ineffective and weak methods of maintaining social order. More specifically, the pres¬ent volume reassesses these forms of exclusion in matters of politics, law, and society, as well as their influence on increased use of imprisonment in later medieval England. Outlawry, Governance, and Law in Medieval England is essential reading for scholars working in this field but is also highly recommended as a text for courses that assess medieval law and the practice of outlawry as well as the development of English Common Law.

Melissa Sartore received her BA in history and her MA in European history from Western Illinois University. She was awarded her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently Assistant Professor of History at West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

Contents: Outlaws, outlawry, and the complexities of language and practice ¿ Outlawry, exile, and banishment in Anglo-Saxon England ¿ Outlawry, exile, and imprisonment in Norman and Anglo-Norman governance and law ¿ Outlawry, kingship and legal reform during the reign of Henry II ¿ Outlawry, abjuration, and imprisonment up to the personal rule of Henry III ¿ Henry III and the customs, laws, and politics of outlawry and imprisonment during the thirteenth century ¿ Edwardian legislation, the end of the eyre, and the position of outlawry at the end of the thirteenth century ¿ Reassessing outlawry in governance and law in medieval England.