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With its roots in ancient Greece, Roman law and Christianity, European legal history is the history of a common civilisation. The exchange of legislative models, doctrines and customs within Europe included English common law and has been extensive from the early middle ages to the present time. In this seminal work which spans from the fifth to the twentieth century, Antonio Padoa-Schioppa explores how law was brought to life in the six main phases of European legal history. By analysing a selection of the institutions of private and public law which are most representative of each phase and of each country, he also sheds light on the common features throughout the history of European legal culture. Translated in English for the first time, this new edition has been revised to include the recent developments of the European Union and the legal-historical works of the last decade.
List of contents
Part I. Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages (V-XI Century): 1. Law in late antiquity; 2. Christianity, Church and law; 3. Law of the Germanic Kingdoms; 4. The Carolingian and Feudal age; 5. Customs and legal culture; 6. Church reform; Part II. The Age of the Classical Ius Commune (XII-XV Century): 7. The Glossators and the new legal science; 8. Canon law; 9. Law and institutions; 10. University - students and teachers; 11. Legal professions; 12. The commentators; 13. Particular laws; 14. Local laws; 15. The legal system of the medieval ius commune; 16. English common law - the formative years; Part III. The Early Modern Period (XVI-XVIII Century): 17. Churches and states in the age of absolutism; 18. Legal humanism; 19. Practitioners and professors; 20. Legal doctrine and the legal professions; 21. Court decisions; 22. Local law and royal legislations; 23. Natural law; 24. Jurists of the eighteenth century; 25. The sources of law; 26. English law (XVI-XVIII century); Part IV. The Age of Reforms (1750-1814): 27. The Enlightenment and the law; 28. The reforms; 29. The French Revolution and the law; 30. The Napoleonic era; 31. The Codifications; Part V. The Age of Nations (1815-1914): 32. Law during the Restoration; 33. The Historical School and German legal science; 34. Late nineteenth-century codes and laws; 35. Legal professions; 36. Legal science between the nineteenth and the twentieth century; Part VI. The Twentieth Century: 37. Law and legislation between the two World Wars; 38. Law in the second half of the twentieth century; 39. Some outlines of the new legal culture; 40. European Union law; 41. Heading towards global law?
About the author
Antonio Padoa-Schioppa is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Law School at Università degli Studi di Milano.
Summary
The first English translation of a comprehensive legal history of Europe from the early middle ages to the twentieth century, encompassing both the common aspects and the original developments of different countries. As well as legal scholars and professionals, it will appeal to those interested in the general history of European civilisation.
