Editing Crime (section)

=== Post-classical era ===
In [[post-classical]] Europe and East Asia, central government was limited and crime was defined locally. Towns established their own criminal justice systems, while crime in the countryside was defined by the social hierarchies of [[feudalism]].{{sfn|Roth|2014|p=84, 91–94}} In some places, such as the [[Russian Empire]] and the [[Kingdom of Italy]], feudal justice survived into the 19th century.{{sfn|Roth|2014|pp=97–105}}

[[Common law]] first developed in England under the rule of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] in the 12th century. He established a system of traveling judges that tried accused criminals in each region of England by applying precedent from previous rulings.{{sfn|Roth|2014|pp=63–64}} Legal developments in 12th century England also resulted in the earliest known recording of official crime data.{{sfn|Roth|2014|p=9}}