Lit. 'a plaint, a plea'. Latin term for one of the procedures imposed on Henry III in the provisions of *Oxford in May 1258. The querela was a simple oral complaint by which a legal action could be initiated. The barons sought to cut through excessive legal bureaucracy: the querela in its simplicity was the answer. *Bracton said: 'No one may sue without a writ [i.e. querela] since without a writ the other is not bound to answer.' The querela, being oral, bypassed the formal and lengthy procedures involved in getting written documents from *chancery. Although available to all, the barons had wanted the querela as a means of investigating royal officials without hindrance by other royal officers. All that was required was for a complaint to be made in a *county court in front of four knights - after that the king's justice was invoked. [< Lat. querelo = to bring an action]
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.