Legal Definitions - Articles of the Clergy

Definition: The Articles of the Clergy were a set of laws created in 1315 to determine the authority of the religious courts and the secular courts.

Example: If a member of the clergy committed a crime, the Articles of the Clergy determined whether they would be tried in a religious court or a secular court.

The Articles of the Clergy were important because they helped to establish the separation of church and state. They ensured that members of the clergy were subject to the same laws as everyone else, but also recognized the authority of the religious courts in certain matters.