Medieval Justice

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.

Hunt Janin is an American writer living in southwestern France. He has written numerous nonfiction and scholarly books on a range of subjects, including medieval history and cross-cultural studies.

Hunt Janin

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 231
Bibliographic Info: 60 photos, chronology, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009 [2004]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4502-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1

1. Why This Book?      5
2. Justice in the Early Middle Ages      10
3. Canon (Ecclesiastical) Law and Its Variants      26
4. Feudalism and Justice in Medieval France      41
5. Anglo-Norman Justice in England Before the Common Law      64
6. Henry II and the Rise of the English Common Law      74
7. Medieval Inquisitors      93
8. A Sampler of Medieval Cases      108
9. Medieval Crime      125
10. Justice in Medieval Germany      148
11. Where Medieval Law and Politics Meet      159
12. Modern Legacies of Medieval Justice      171

Selected Chronology      179
Appendix I. A Brief Overview of the Inquisition      185
Appendix II. What Was One Penny Worth in the Middle Ages?      188
Appendix III. Medieval and Later Laws Concerning Swans      190
Appendix IV. Joan of Arc: The Twenty-Seven Articles      192
Appendix V. The High Court of Chivalry      195
Appendix VI. Justices of the Peace in the United Kingdom Today      197
Appendix VII. Listing of Selected Cases and Laws Cited in the Text      200

Notes      203
Bibliography      215
Index      223

“Interesting…good reading…lively discussion”—Mediaevistik.