Medieval Justice: Cases and Laws in France, England and Germany, 500-1500

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. The work highlights some of the key elements in the intricate, overlapping legal systems of the Middle Ages and covers a wide range of contemporary laws and cases. A discussion of the modern legacies of medieval law is also included. Appendices include a brief overview of the Inquisition, an explanation of a pennya s worth in the Middle Ages, the Medieval and later laws concerning swans, the 27 articles of Joan of Arc (which witnesses were asked to deny or confirm at her nullification trial), an examination of the High Court of Chivalry, Justices of Peace in the UK today, and a listing of selected cases and laws cited in the text. 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.