Law and Order in Anglo-Saxon England
Law and Order in Anglo-Saxon England

Author: Tom Lambert

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-02-23

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 0191089591

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Law and Order in Anglo-Saxon England explores English legal culture and practice across the Anglo-Saxon period, beginning with the essentially pre-Christian laws enshrined in writing by King Æthelberht of Kent in c. 600 and working forward to the Norman Conquest of 1066. It attempts to escape the traditional retrospective assumptions of legal history, focused on the late twelfth-century Common Law, and to establish a new interpretative framework for the subject, more sensitive to contemporary cultural assumptions and practical realities. The focus of the volume is on the maintenance of order: what constituted good order; what forms of wrongdoing were threatening to it; what roles kings, lords, communities, and individuals were expected to play in maintaining it; and how that worked in practice. Its core argument is that the Anglo-Saxons had a coherent, stable, and enduring legal order that lacks modern analogies: it was neither state-like nor stateless, and needs to be understood on its own terms rather than as a variant or hybrid of these models. Tom Lambert elucidates a distinctively early medieval understanding of the tension between the interests of individuals and communities, and a vision of how that tension ought to be managed that, strikingly, treats strongly libertarian and communitarian features as complementary. Potentially violent, honour-focused feuding was an integral aspect of legitimate legal practice throughout the period, but so too was fearsome punishment for forms of wrongdoing judged socially threatening. Law and Order in Anglo-Saxon England charts the development of kings' involvement in law, in terms both of their authority to legislate and their ability to influence local practice, presenting a picture of increasingly ambitious and effective royal legal innovation that relied more on the cooperation of local communal assemblies than kings' sparse and patchy network of administrative officials.

The Law Courts of Medieval England
The Law Courts of Medieval England

Author: A. Harding

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-06-26

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0429558740

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Originally published in 1973 The Law Courts of Medieval England looks at law courts as the most developed institutions existing in the medieval times. Communities crystallized upon them and the governments worked through them. This book describes the scope and procedures of the different courts, appointment of the judges, the beginnings of civil and criminal courts, the origin of the jury system and other aspects of the modern legal system. It is all shown by an analysis of actual reports of court cases of the time, giving a vivid picture of the life of the English people as well as of the ways of the professional lawyers, no less intricate than they are today.

A Companion to Britain in the Later Middle Ages
A Companion to Britain in the Later Middle Ages

Author: S. H. Rigby

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 688

ISBN-13: 0470998776

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This authoritative survey of Britain in the later Middle Ages comprises 28 chapters written by leading figures in the field. Covers social, economic, political, religious, and cultural history in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales Provides a guide to the historical debates over the later Middle Ages Addresses questions at the leading edge of historical scholarship Each chapter includes suggestions for further reading

Routledge Revivals: Medieval England (1998)
Routledge Revivals: Medieval England (1998)

Author: Paul E. Szarmach

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 949

ISBN-13: 1351666371

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

First published in 1998, this valuable reference work offers concise, expert answers to questions on all aspects of life and culture in Medieval England, including art, architecture, law, literature, kings, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare and religion. This wide-ranging text encompasses English social, cultural, and political life from the Anglo-Saxon invasions in the fifth century to the turn of the sixteenth century, as well as its ties to the Celtic world of Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the French and Anglo-Norman world of the Continent and the Viking and Scandinavian world of the North Sea. A range of topics are discussed from Sedulius to Skelton, from Wulfstan of York to Reginald Pecock, from Pictish art to Gothic sculpture and from the Vikings to the Black Death. A subject and name index makes it easy to locate information and bibliographies direct users to essential primary and secondary sources as well as key scholarship. With more than 700 entries by over 300 international scholars, this work provides a detailed portrait of the English Middle Ages and will be of great value to students and scholars studying Medieval history in England and Europe, as well as non-specialist readers.

The Oxford History of the Laws of England Volume II
The Oxford History of the Laws of England Volume II

Author: John Hudson

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2012-03-22

Total Pages: 981

ISBN-13: 0191630039

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume in the landmark Oxford History of the Laws of England series, spans three centuries that encompassed the tumultuous years of the Norman conquest, and during which the common law as we know it today began to emerge. The first full-length treatment of all aspects of the early development of the English common law in a century, featuring extensive research into the original sources that bring the era to life, and providing an interpretative account, a detailed subject analysis, and fascinating glimpses into medieval disputes. Starting with King Alfred (871-899), this book examines the particular contributions of the Anglo-Saxon period to the development of English law, including the development of a powerful machinery of royal government, significant aspects of a long-lasting court structure, and important elements of law relating to theft and violence. Until the reign of King Stephen (1135-54), these Anglo-Saxon contributions were maintained by the Norman rulers, whilst the Conquest of 1066 led to the development of key aspects of landholding that were to have a continuing effect on the emerging common law. The Angevin period saw the establishment of more routine royal administration of justice, closer links between central government and individuals in the localities, and growing bureaucratization. Finally, the later twelfth and earlier thirteenth century saw influential changes in legal expertise. The book concludes with the rebellion against King John in 1215 and the production of the Magna Carta. Laying out in exhaustive detail the origins of the English common law through the ninth to the early thirteenth centuries, this book will be essential reading for all legal historians and a vital work of reference for academics, students, and practitioners.

Medieval Literature
Medieval Literature

Author: Dominique Battles

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-08-28

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1040091121

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is the first book-length exploration of the type-scenes of western medieval literature from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, spanning both the Latinate and Germanic traditions. Type-scenes are the recurring, stock scenes comprising the basic structure and cognitive guidance for narrative. These formulaic scenes enabled medieval poets to express originality while honoring tradition. Central to medieval poetic invention, type-scenes form the vital “internal organs” of narrative, each serving a specialized function while working in concert with other organs to create and sustain the story. This accessible and engaging guide to medieval type-scenes consists of three parts: Part I is a compendium of the type-scenes commonly found in medieval narrative, including analyses of examples from individual poems. Part II explores combinations of type-scenes within single works of literature for purposes of chronology, characterization, or virtuosity. Part III examines how a single type-scene manifests across multiple poems, adapting to a variety of settings and periods, while maintaining its original intent. This volume kindles in scholars, teachers, and students alike a new and refreshing awareness of the foundational narrative strategies of medieval literature.

The Boundaries of Meaning and the Formation of Law
The Boundaries of Meaning and the Formation of Law

Author: Sharron Gu

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2006-04-18

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0773560025

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Different legal systems share some basic developmental tendencies that are rooted in the historical evolution of language and culture. In this comparative history of English common law, Islamic law, and Chinese imperialist law Sharron Gu describes the formation of three diverse legal systems in terms of their unique linguistic environments. She argues that the characteristics of each language define the nature of the common, statute, administrative, and religious laws associated with it and set the boundaries for its legal imagination.