# Constitutions of Clarendon (1164)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1164-constitutions-of-clarendon
Categories: main-event

Henry II issued measures intended to define royal authority over clergy and church courts. Within the broader Norman & Angevin Britain period, Norman conquest, cross-Channel lordship and royal reform created a new aristocracy and a more centralized monarchy. This event is placed at 1164 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The dispute became the central constitutional conflict between Henry and Archbishop Thomas Becket.

## Why it matters
The dispute became the central constitutional conflict between Henry and Archbishop Thomas Becket.

Ruler at the time: [Henry II](https://english-history.com/rulers/henry-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Constitutions of Clarendon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Constitutions+of+Clarendon&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Constitutions of Clarendon](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Constitutions+of+Clarendon)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%281000%E2%80%931499%29)
- [The National Archives — medieval education resources](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/)