CHAPTER 132: CHAPTER 132 – THE CROWN AND THE LAW

Jerusalem, October 25th, 1180

The city had changed since Baldwin last laid eyes upon it.

The olive trees lining the road from Jaffa had grown fat with fruit, and pilgrims crowded the boulevards from the Mount of Olives to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Fresh banners flew from every tower—golden crosses, lions rampant, the fleur-de-lis of returning French crusaders who had chosen to stay. Jerusalem thrived, not just in faith and memory, but now in gold, arms, and law.

The king’s litter passed beneath the arch of David’s Gate as city criers announced the royal court’s return. But Baldwin did not pause for rest or processions. The conquests in Syria had been secured, the Duchy of Antioch established, and Jerusalem’s borders now stretched from the Jordan to the Orontes—but it was the realm within those borders that now concerned him.

I. The End of the High Court

In the stone hall of the royal palace—refreshed with Syrian ivory and Damascene silk—Baldwin met with his closest councilors: Joscelin of Courtenay, Raynald of Sidon, Amalric de Lusignan and his trusted scribe, Brother Thomas of Acre.

"Gentlemen," Baldwin said, his voice thin but commanding, "the High Court, as it now stands, is finished."

There was silence.

"You mean to dissolve it?" asked Raynald, raising a grayed brow.

"I mean," Baldwin replied, "to replace it. Not with chaos, but with order. The age of squabbling barons and rotating alliances has nearly cost us the kingdom too many times. Now that we have a kingdom worth keeping, we must shape it so that it can be kept."

He took a parchment scroll and unrolled it before them—a draft of royal ordinance, with wax seals half-melted by the Syrian sun. On it were names—not of nobles but appointed royal officials.

"I will appoint a Justiciar to oversee the secular administration of justice across the realm. A Chancellor will manage royal documents and law. A Treasurer will oversee a royal Exchequer modeled after the English system—stable, efficient, and loyal to the crown, not the court."

"And the nobles?" Joscelin asked carefully. "They may see it as an attack on their ancient rights."

"They may," Baldwin admitted, "but I am not abolishing their lands or inheritance. They will still govern their fiefs. But justice, taxation, and law shall henceforth be instruments of the crown, not the collective bargaining of barons."

II. Common Law in the Kingdom of Jerusalem

With the High Court’s influence diminished, Baldwin now set about building a new legal code—one modeled not on the Assizes of Jerusalem, which mingled feudal privileges and customs, but on emerging European common law principles.

The Assize of Clarendon, issued by Henry II in England in 1166, became his model. Baldwin adapted its structure:

Royal Justices were appointed and dispatched to circuits across the kingdom: from Tiberias to Ascalon, Damascus, and even Aleppo, these judges oversaw standardized trials for serious crimes, land disputes, and inheritance claims.

The use of "juries of presentment" was introduced in towns and bishoprics, where groups of freemen identified those accused of theft, murder, or land encroachment, who would then be tried by royal law.

The King’s Peace was expanded: assaulting travelers, attacking churches, or interfering with messengers of the crown now carried swift and harsh penalties.

Local lordly courts still held jurisdiction over minor disputes, but royal courts now handled serious offenses and appeals.

Ecclesiastical courts were officially recognized to handle matters of marriage, clerical conduct, wills, and blasphemy—but under strict guidelines. The line between sacred and royal authority was drawn, respected, and enforced.

Brother Thomas scribbled rapidly as Baldwin dictated the preamble to the new legal code:

"In the name of Christ and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, let the law be made known: that justice shall be measured not by the birth of the man but the truth of the deed. That none shall be above the King’s Peace, nor beneath his protection."

III. The Royal Treasury and New Exchequer

Next came finances.

Baldwin summoned a cohort of scribes, accountants, and goldsmiths—many trained in Italy and Sicily. A new building within the Citadel of Jerusalem was commissioned: the Royal Treasury, and alongside it, the Exchequer Hall, modeled explicitly on that of Westminster.

Revenue would no longer depend solely on feudal levies or random war ransoms. Now, every fief, town, port, and royal demesne would be assessed and taxed according to a system of record.

A "Pipe Roll" system was introduced—annual audits on paper scrolls, listing every source of income and debt.

Among the innovations:

Ports such as Tyre, Acre, and Jaffa paid direct customs taxes on incoming goods.

Syrian cities, such as Damascus, now contributed regular revenue through market tolls and urban hearth taxes.

Newly created Royal Estates in Homs and Baalbek were reorganized to provide grain, barley, and coinage to the crown.

The jizya tax was reintroduced—but this time levied on Muslim peasants who remained in Syria. Baldwin declared in council:

"Let it be known to the Muslim villagers: they may remain upon their lands. They may worship in peace, pay homage to no Christian priest, and be judged by their own elders. But they will pay the tax—the same our forefathers once paid under Saracen rule."

It was justice, Baldwin believed—if not mercy.

IV. A Kingdom Worth Keeping

Each day in Jerusalem brought new cases, ordinances, and appointments. Baldwin rose late, but worked tirelessly from his writing desk.

Joscelin joined him again in the solar chamber overlooking the city, maps of the kingdom laid out before them.

"We’ve replaced chaos with a vision," Baldwin said softly, eyes drifting across the paper borders of his new realm. "Now it must last. This isn’t just the Kingdom of Jerusalem anymore, Joscelin. It is the Kingdom of Outremer. It must be one body. One law. One treasury. One crown."

Joscelin nodded. "You’ve built what few ever dream of, my lord. But it will take men of steel to hold it after you."

"Then we will find them. Or make them."

Outside, church bells rang for vespers. Jerusalem glowed beneath the twilight, not as a relic of the past—but now as the capital of a kingdom reborn.