© 2026 – Kato Van de Velde
Engels:
1. common law:
Explain the concept of Common Law.
A legal system based on previous judicial decisions ans cases rather than only written
laws or codes.
What is the main difference with Civil Law?
In civil law courts make laws through rulings and in common law judges apply laws that
are already written.
Give 2 synonyms for Common Law.
case law
judge-made law
Why is common law called Common Law?
Because in England it was a law that was common to the whole country applied by the
King’s courts.
Who created common law in England?
The royal courts under the authority of the Norman kings.
Explain the English legal system before the Norman conquest briefly.
People were bound to a lord and their family. Each region or community followed its own
laws. If you were the accused you needed people to prove your innocence or pay the cash
price.
Why did the Norman kings start a new legal system?
To ensure that the same rules applied across the whole country, and to create a more
predictable system.
What are circuit judges?
Judges who work by travelling around the country.
What’s meant with trial by ordeal?
A trial to prove your innocence by seeing if God is on your side.
What’s typical of the adversarial system?
That the two opponents present their case before a judge and the jury.
Which important rule was later on created by Common Law judges?
That a person is innocent until proven guilty.
What is the writ of habeas corpus? Why is the concept so important?
It’s a court order that requires an arrested person to be brought before the judge. It’s
important because it protects individual freedom.
1
, © 2026 – Kato Van de Velde
From when onwards has the monarch had no further legal power?
from 1701
Which act stipulates this? ↑
the act of settlement
What type of law is most important at the present?
Statute Law
What is meant with the principle of binding precedent?
decisions of higher courts are binding for lower courts.
2. state organs in the U.K.:
What’s the origin of the word Parliament?
Norman French word ‘parler’
How old is the present Palace of Westminster?
from the 19th century
What was Westminster Hall used as?
the first law Court
What’s a present function of Westminster Hall?
host visiting heads of state & for exhibitions
What do MPs call each other?
my honorable friend of honorable lady / gentleman
Which act regulates the right to the British Throne? What does it say?
The act of settlement, it says that protestant successors would be placed on the throne.
What is the state religion in the UK? How come?
protestant, because King Henry VIII established it in the 16 th century because the Roman
Catholic Pope refused to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Which functions does the monarch have?
head of judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces, temporal head of the Church of
England & an integral part of the legislature
Give the name of the monarch’s advisory body.
the Privacy Council
Name the 3 main duties of the monarch.
summons, progues and dissolves Parliament
2
Engels:
1. common law:
Explain the concept of Common Law.
A legal system based on previous judicial decisions ans cases rather than only written
laws or codes.
What is the main difference with Civil Law?
In civil law courts make laws through rulings and in common law judges apply laws that
are already written.
Give 2 synonyms for Common Law.
case law
judge-made law
Why is common law called Common Law?
Because in England it was a law that was common to the whole country applied by the
King’s courts.
Who created common law in England?
The royal courts under the authority of the Norman kings.
Explain the English legal system before the Norman conquest briefly.
People were bound to a lord and their family. Each region or community followed its own
laws. If you were the accused you needed people to prove your innocence or pay the cash
price.
Why did the Norman kings start a new legal system?
To ensure that the same rules applied across the whole country, and to create a more
predictable system.
What are circuit judges?
Judges who work by travelling around the country.
What’s meant with trial by ordeal?
A trial to prove your innocence by seeing if God is on your side.
What’s typical of the adversarial system?
That the two opponents present their case before a judge and the jury.
Which important rule was later on created by Common Law judges?
That a person is innocent until proven guilty.
What is the writ of habeas corpus? Why is the concept so important?
It’s a court order that requires an arrested person to be brought before the judge. It’s
important because it protects individual freedom.
1
, © 2026 – Kato Van de Velde
From when onwards has the monarch had no further legal power?
from 1701
Which act stipulates this? ↑
the act of settlement
What type of law is most important at the present?
Statute Law
What is meant with the principle of binding precedent?
decisions of higher courts are binding for lower courts.
2. state organs in the U.K.:
What’s the origin of the word Parliament?
Norman French word ‘parler’
How old is the present Palace of Westminster?
from the 19th century
What was Westminster Hall used as?
the first law Court
What’s a present function of Westminster Hall?
host visiting heads of state & for exhibitions
What do MPs call each other?
my honorable friend of honorable lady / gentleman
Which act regulates the right to the British Throne? What does it say?
The act of settlement, it says that protestant successors would be placed on the throne.
What is the state religion in the UK? How come?
protestant, because King Henry VIII established it in the 16 th century because the Roman
Catholic Pope refused to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Which functions does the monarch have?
head of judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces, temporal head of the Church of
England & an integral part of the legislature
Give the name of the monarch’s advisory body.
the Privacy Council
Name the 3 main duties of the monarch.
summons, progues and dissolves Parliament
2
