爱德华一世时期英国王座法庭的运作

The Function of the Court of King's Bench under Edward I

中世纪英国的王座法庭作为中央王室法庭的三大分支之一,对于普通法的形成以及英国司法体系的建立有着重要的影响。1936年始,塞尔顿协会(Selden Society)相继出版了三卷本的Select Cases in The Court of King'sBench Under Edward I,对研究爱德华一世时期乃至更广泛时间范围下的王座法庭提供了颇具研究价值的史料,这一点已经得到了诸多学者的肯定。本文便是从这批案例材料出发,主要探讨王座法庭在爱德华一世时期的运作情况。王座法庭在这一时期已经成为了区别于普通诉讼法庭等其他王室法庭的独立的司法机构,主要处理着王权诉讼、私人间的土地纠纷和为数众多的侵权诉讼,但它与普通诉讼法庭并未完全在刑事案件与民事案件上明确分工。王座法庭的司法管辖权反映在法庭的具体运作中,在每年的四个开庭期,王座法庭按照自己的办案程序审理案件,期间也要协调与咨议会、特权法庭、爱尔兰法庭以及苏格兰法庭的关系。这一具体的运作过程,体现出王座法庭的实际功用,包括保护国王的利益,为普通民众提供了一个初审法庭,为遭受错误审判损失的当事人提供救济,解决下级法院无法解决的困难案件,监督郡长对法庭判决的执行力度和违法行为,行使对其他司法机构的一般性的监督权。最后,这批案例材料还为我们认识爱德华国王时期中央与地方关系以及当代人生活状况的某些方面提供了一些线索。

The Court of King＇s Bench,as one of the three royal central courts in medieval Britain,has an important influence on the formation of English common law and also the establishment of the British judicial systems.From the year of 1936,The Selden Society had published three volumes of the Select Cases in The Court of King＇s Bench Under Edward I,which provides many valuable materials to the research of the King＇s Bench under Edward I and even in a wider time range,many famous scholars have acknowledged its value.Basing on the aforesaid cases,this article mainly discusses how the King＇s Bench in the aforesaid time operated.The King＇s Bench had become a judiciary body distinct from the Court of Common Pleas and other royal courts,and it was primarily responsible to the pleas of the crown,privately land disputes and numerous trespass cases.Although it had some jurisdiction,the line of demarcation between criminal pleas and civil pleas with the Court of Common Pleas had not been clearly drawn.The jurisdiction of the King＇s Bench is reflected in the process of operation.During the four terms of each year,the King＇s Bench heard its cases according to its rules and process,and also dealed with the relationship with the Council,courts of franchisals,and courts of Ireland and Scotland.The process of the operation reflects its practical function,including protecting the royal rights,providing people a court of first instance at some cases,offering remedies to the parties who suffering erroneous judgements,solving the difficult cases from the inferior courts,supervising the sheriffs enforcing judgements and illegal acts,and exercising a supervisory power to the other judiciary bodies.In addition,these cases provide some clues of the relation between the central and local government,and also some aspects of contemporary life and conditions.