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What did the Assize of Arms of 1181 require free men to do?

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King Henry II and St. Thomas Becket — Henry II Henry II (left) disputing with Thomas Becket (center), miniature from a 14th-century manuscript; in the British Library (Cotton MS. Claudius D.ii).

The Assize of Arms of 1181 required all free men who met a specific property qualification to possess arms suitable to their social station. This measure was part of the broader administrative and judicial reforms enacted during the reign of King Henry II of England.1