What was the disagreement between the Court of King’s Bench and the Court of Chancery?

The disagreement between the Court of King’s Bench and the Court of Chancery centered on the latter’s practice of interfering with and effectively nullifying common-law decisions.1

As a staunch defender of the common law, Sir Edward Coke viewed the Court of Chancery as an encroaching jurisdiction that undermined the authority of the common-law courts. The conflict reached a peak in 1615 when the King’s Bench initiated a dispute against the Lord Chancellor, Baron Ellesmere, over the Chancery’s right to grant equitable relief in cases where a common-law judgment had already been rendered.21

Coke further challenged the Chancery by attempting to hold suitors liable for praemunire—a serious legal offense—if they sought the Chancery’s assistance to defy a decree issued by the King’s Bench. Ultimately, this struggle for judicial supremacy resulted in Coke’s defeat, as the Court of Chancery’s power to provide equity was too firmly established to be overturned by the common-law judges.1