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Bibliographic hints

Here, you may find some bibliographic hints which can support your research on sources of law from particular countries or concerning specific matters. We attempted to provide you with most essential bibliographic hints, concerning crucial editions, bibliographies, journals, relatively recent handbooks, etc. 

The preparation of this section was graciously aided by Colleagues who were not in the project team. We would like to express our gratitude to them: dr. Anna Karabowicz (Sevilla), dr. Christian Speer (Halle/Saale), dr. Florian Zeilinger (Graz).

The records, concerning countries and topics, follow alphabetical order. If you find any mistakes or would like to be helpful in expanding any of the sections, please contact krzysztof.fokt@uj.edu.pl.

» Austria

General review of older research may be obtained through the handbooks (e.g. H. Baltl, Österreichische Rechtsgeschichte, Graz 1982; K. Hoke, Österreichische und Deutsche Rechtsgeschichte, Wien 1992; S. Meder, Rechtsgeschichte: Eine Einführung, 5th ed., Köln – Weimar – Wien 2014).

The most important source edition series for Austria are the "Fontes rerum Austriacarum", with their sub-series II containing sources of legal practice, and especially sub-series III (Fontes iuris), exclusively devoted to legal sources.

The most important journal of the legal-historical sub-discipline in Austria are the "Beiträge zur Rechtsgeschichte Österreichs".

Some editions, and secondary studies concerning present-day Austria may be researched through the means applicable also to Germany (e.g. the HRG or MGH, cf. in the respective section below). 

» Czechia

General insight into the Czech legal-historical research, comprehending Bohemia & Moravia, is provided by the most recent encyclopedic work (Encyklopedie českých právních dějin, vols. 1-24, Ostrava 2015-2023), and the handbooks (J. Kapras, Právní dějiny zemí koruny české, vols. 1-2, Praha 1913; O. Peterka, Rechtsgeschichte der Böhmischen Länder in ihren Grundzügen dargestellt, vols. 1-2, Reichenberg 1923-1928; V. Vaneček, Prameny k dějinam statu a prava w Československu, Praha 1957; V. Vaněček, Dějiny státu a práva v Československu do roku 1945, 3rd ed., Praha 1976).

An insight into the older bibliography of Czech (& Czechoslovak) legal history may be obtained through a general historical bibliography of C. Zibrt, Bibliografie česke historie, Praha 1904-1941, bibliographies limited to this sub-discipline: J. Kapras, Literatura českých právních dějin, [Praha] 1918; Bibliography of Czechoslovak Legal Literature 1945-1958, Praha 1959, and the reviews of K. Maly, V. Prochazka, V. Vaneček in "Czasopismo Prawno-Historyczne", vols. 8, 14, 19, 24 and "Revue historique de droit français et étranger" 1959.

There were monumental edtions of Bohemian legal sources concerning both land law & town law: the Codex Iuris Bohemici, and the Codex Iuris Municipalis, but despite that may sources were also edited separately. Most of the older editions may be found in digitised form on the website of Centre for Medieval Studies in Prague (CMS).

Some journals where legal-historical texts may be found: "Archiv Český" 1840-1944, "Pravne Historicke Studie", Praha 1955-; "Sbornik ved pravnich a statnich", Praha 1900-1948.

» Denmark

Older research results & bibliography may be obtained through handbooks: P.J. Jørgensen, Dansk Retshistorie, 4th ed., København 1969; M. Kjær, H. Vogt, En dansk retshistorie – fra middelalder til grundlov, 2nd ed., København 2023.

There is also a quite recent overview of sources of law from all the Nordic countries: D. Strauch, Mittelalterliches nordisches Recht bis 1500: Eine Quellenkunde, DeGruyter 2011 (see also an overview of the same author here).

» Germany

The bibliographies of older works on legal history were published by E.H. Costa (Bibliographie der Deutschen Rechtsgeschichte, Braunschweig 1858), H. Planitz & T. Buyken (Bibliographie zur deutschen Rechtsgeschichte, vols. 1-2, Frankfurt/Main) in 1952, and by G. Köbler in 1969. General works concerning legal-historical sources & their bibliography may be found in the list assembled by Professor Ulrike Müßig, in the section 1.4; also huge encyclopaedic works may be helpful here, as the "Handwörterbuch zur deutschen Rechtsgeschichte" (HRG) and the "Lexikon des Mittelalters (LexMA).

The main edition series is, of course, the "Monumenta Germaniae Historica", especially its legal sub-series (MGH Leges) containing normative sources. Because of the complexity of German history, many sources of crucial importance should be searched for in archives, libraries & databases functioning in particular federal lands. 

The most influential German journal in the field has been the Zeitschrift für Rechtsgeschichte (1861-1878), later from 1880 on "Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung fur Rechtsgeschichte", 3 series: Germanistische Romanistische, Kanonische Abteilungthe (ZRG); other journals were listed here, including the "Rechtsgeschichte", published by the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt/Main, for many years the main institutional pillar of the subdiscipline in Germany.

Concerning the digitised resources, an extremely important institution is the digitalisation centre in Munich (MDZ). A very useful bibliographic base with ca. 3 mln. entries is the database of the Regesta Imperii (RI). Medieval narrative sources may be searched for through the Geschichtsquellen des deutschen Mittelalters

» Hungary

» Netherlands

Older bibliography may be found in: L.J. v. Oppen, J.C. Sasse, Nederlandsche rechtsliteratur, vols. 1-2, La Haye 1884-1885; Repertorium bibliographicum institutorum et solidatarum iuris historiae, 2nd ed., ed. R. Feenstra, Leyde 1980.

Most prestigious journal for legal history in the Netherlands is the "Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis", 1918-;

» Norway

Older research results & bibliography may be obtained through handbooks & synthetic works, e.g. F. Brandt, Forelæsninger over den norske retshistorie, vols. 1-2, Kristiania 1880-83; A. Taranger, Udsigt overden Norske Rets Historie, vols. 1-2, 2nd ed., Oslo 1935; K. Lehmann, Abhandlungen zur germanischen, insbesondere nordischen Rechtsgeschichte, Berlin 1880; L.B. Orfield, The Growth of Scandinavian Law, Philadelphia 1953; .

There is also a quite recent overview of sources of law from all the Nordic countries: D. Strauch, Mittelalterliches nordisches Recht bis 1500: Eine Quellenkunde, DeGruyter 2011 (see also an overview of the same author here).

» Poland

General view on the legal-historical research in Poland may be obtained through the lecture of handbooks, e.g. the huge multi-authored synthesis ed. by Juliusz Bardach (vos. 1-2, Warszawa 1964, 1966), and more recent handbooks of Professors Płaza (vol. 1, Kraków 1997, 2002) & Uruszczak (vol. 1, Warszawa 2021). The bibliographies of the works published in the years 1926-1947 were prepared by K. Koranyi & J. Koranyiowa in 4 volumes (Lwów 1939, Warszawa 1953, 1959), and detailed current bibliography from 1950s up to nowadays has been published in the journal "Czasopismo Prawno-Historyczne".

The most important series in which legal sources from the Middle Ages & early modernity were published before WWII were the "Starodawne Prawa Polskiego Pomniki", and the "Archiwum Komisji Prawniczej". These were replaced after 1945 by the series "Pomniki Prawa Polskiego" which is being published up to now; there are also some other series, e.g. the Fontes Iuris Polonici or the Volumina Constitutionum.

In Poland there are several convenient on-line gateways to archival sources from the state archives (the szukajwarchiwach service), other institutions (Federation of Digital Libraries). There is also an online repository of sources of law (the IURA service).

» Spain

An insight in the older research and bibliography may be obtained through the handbooks, i.e. of J. Sánchez-Arcilla Bernal, or the older ones, e.g. of J. Lalinde-Abadia or A. Garcia-Gallo. 

Digitalized printed resources are available through the Biblioteca Digital Hispánica, which is a service provided by the National Library of Spain, the Hispana, provided by the National Direction for Digital Resources, and other services, i.a. the Virtual Library of Bibliographic Heritage or the BiViDA (Biblioteca Virtual de Derecho Aragonés).

A convenient gateway to legal sources published on-line, including Roman, Visigothic, Byzantine & Spanish Laws, is the Fuentes online published by the BOE official state bulletin. BOE allows also for identification & mostly also downloading of particular volumes of several edition series of legal sources, listed under Collectiones de Historia

There are several journals that provide texts concerning the legal history of the pre-modern era, i.a. Anuario de historia del derecho españolHistoria. Instituciones. Documentos, Revista de estudios histórico-jurídicos, the Catalan periodical Revista de Dret Històric Català, or the on-line e-Legal History Review.

» Switzerland

The most important on-line resource for legal sources from Switzerland is the SSRQ, provided by the Rechtsquellenstiftung des schweizerischen Juristenvereins; it gives access to digitalised sources, retrodigitalised literature & useful databanks. General orientation on the ongoing projects & research on the history of Switzerland may be also obtained through the InfoCLIO portal, including, i.a., a search engine for source editions.

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