The
Court of King's Bench (or
Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a female monarch), formally known as
The Court of the King Before the King Himself, was an
English court of
common law in the
English legal system. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century from the
curia regis, initially following the monarch on his travels, the King's Bench finally joined the
Court of Common Pleas and
Exchequer of Pleas in
Westminster Hall in 1318, making its last travels in 1421. As one of the two principal common law courts along with the Common Pleas, the King's Bench's jurisdiction and caseload was significantly challenged by the rise of the
Court of Chancery and
equitable doctrines in the 15th and 16th centuries. To recover, the King's Bench undertook a scheme of revolutionary reform, creating less expensive, faster and more versatile types of pleading in the form of bills as opposed to the more traditional
writs. Although not immediately stemming the tide, in the long term it helped the King's Bench not only recover but increase its workload. While there was a steep decline in business from 1460 to 1540, as the new reforms began to take effect the King's Bench's business was significantly boosted; between 1560 and 1640, it rose tenfold.