ABSTRACT
In the Middle Ages, justice was a source of profit for the prince; and the duchy of Normandy was no exception, producing revenues ranging from over 10 per cent of the total in 1180 to more than 4 per cent in 1198. Normandy's strong government compared to Anjou or Aquitaine is reflected in the Richard's writs and charters concerning the duchy. Emblematic of the Angevin kings' control over Normandy was their supremacy over the Norman Church, which corresponded roughly to the ecclesiastical province of Rouen and consisted of seven dioceses. Henry II and Richard dominated it more effectively than any of their other Churches on the Continent. Richard's rule over Normandy was coming to resemble Aquitaine, where military might had maintained authority over unruly vassals. The difference was an efficient exchequer in Normandy extorting a larger portion of the population's wealth that had no counterpart in Richard's southern duchy, making his rule appear more oppressive to his Norman subjects.
