Full Description
A primer on medieval justice, this book focuses on France, Germany and England and covers the thousand years between the transformation of the Roman world in Western Europe, which took place around the 4th and 5th centuries, and the European Renaissance of the 14th and 15th centuries. It highlights key elements in the intricate, overlapping legal systems of the Middle Ages and describes a wide range of contemporary laws and cases.
A discussion of the modern legacies of medieval law is included, as are a brief overview of the Inquisition, the 27 articles of Joan of Arc and useful commentary on many other topics. Illustrations range from the earliest known depictions of English courts and illuminations of torture to pictures of important sites, events, and instruments of punishment in medieval law.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. Why This Book?
2. Justice in the Early Middle Ages
3. Canon (Ecclesiastical) Law and Its Variants
4. Feudalism and Justice in Medieval France
5. Anglo-Norman Justice in England Before the Common Law
6. Henry II and the Rise of the English Common Law
7. Medieval Inquisitors
8. A Sampler of Medieval Cases
9. Medieval Crime
10. Justice in Medieval Germany
11. Where Medieval Law and Politics Meet
12. Modern Legacies of Medieval Justice
Selected Chronology
Appendix I. A Brief Overview of the Inquisition
Appendix II. What Was One Penny Worth in the Middle Ages?
Appendix III. Medieval and Later Laws Concerning Swans
Appendix IV. Joan of Arc: The Twenty-Seven Articles
Appendix V. The High Court of Chivalry
Appendix VI. Justices of the Peace in the United Kingdom Today
Appendix VII. Listing of Selected Cases and Laws Cited in the Text
Notes
Bibliography
Index
