This course provides an overview of the history of European law, focusing in particular on the types, structure, and use of legal sources from the medieval and early modern periods. It begins by addressing two important authoritative texts in the study of secular and spiritual law, the Corpus Iuris Civilis and the Corpus Iuris Canonici. It then examines the main types of medieval and early modern legal literature, starting with glosses and commentaries. It also covers other genres such as quaestiones, brocardica, and consilia. The course then considers significant examples of ius proprium such as the statutes of the Italian communal cities and the Liber Augustalis of the Kingdom of Sicily.
Finally, the course provides an introduction to legal paleography as a means of understanding medieval and early modern legal sources. The course uses specific examples to guide students through the deciphering of these systems, as well as practical tips for transcribing digitized manuscripts. The course concludes with an outline of how to recognize and read legal allegations, including citation methods for the Corpus Iuris Civilis and the Corpus Iuris Canonici.
The course was prepared by Dr. Anna Floris. Available also on the Copernicus College!
Lecture 1: Introduction to legal history
Lecture 2: The Corpus iuris civilis
Lecture 4: Methods of citation (Corpus iuris civilis)
Lecture 5: The Corpus iuris canonici: Gratian’s Decretum
Lecture 6: The Corpus iuris canonici: the collection of decretals
Lecture 7: Methods of citation (Corpus iuris canonici)
Lecture 8: Doctrinal sources. Glossae and Commentaria
Lecture 9: Doctrinal sources: quaestiones, consilia, brocardica
Lecture 11: Legal Paleography – 1
