Henry Bracton

Who was Henry Bracton?

Henry of Bracton, also Henry de Bracton, also Henrici Bracton, or Henry Bratton also Henry Bretton was an English jurist.

He is famous now for his writings on law, particularly De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliae, and his ideas on mens rea, or 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 kingship, arguing that a ruler should only be called king if he obtained and exercised power in a lawful manner.

In his writings Bracton manages coherently to set out the law of the royal courts through his use of categories drawn from Roman law, thus incorporating into English law several developments of medieval Roman law.