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Question: “It is no coincidence that Æthelberht set down his code shortly after Augustus arrived in Canterbury and converted him to Christianity” (Harry Potter).


Answer: Æthelberht’s code was the first codified written example of English law. It lists offences and then amount of compensation an offender would be required to pay for committing that offence. Although we know of the code and what it said, due to a surviving copy and historians such as Bede who wrote soon after Æthelberht’s death, it is unclear and therefore debated as to why Æthelberht decided to codify and write the law. As Harry Potter argues this may have been due to Æthelberht conversion to Christianity. Other legal historians have disagreed and argued his motivation lay with mimicking Kings across the continent and creating an alternative to blood feuds. Augustine was sent to Kent by Pope Gregory to convert the English people to the Roman religion of Christianity. Previously un......(short extract)


Details: - Mark: Not available | Course: English Legal System | Year: 1st | Words: 1462 | References: No | Date written: Not available | Date submitted: May 28, 2019 | Coursework ID: 1061

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