Scripting Justice in Late Medieval Europe Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- List of figures, maps, plans and timelines
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Profiles: Three late medieval law courts
- 2 Legal space
- 3 The rituality of court practice
- 4 Legal text and social context
- 5 Court and society: The production and consumption of justice
- General conclusion
- Appendix 1 Utrecht
- Appendix 2 York
- Appendix 3 Paris
- Bibliography
- Index
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- List of figures, maps, plans and timelines
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Profiles: Three late medieval law courts
- 2 Legal space
- 3 The rituality of court practice
- 4 Legal text and social context
- 5 Court and society: The production and consumption of justice
- General conclusion
- Appendix 1 Utrecht
- Appendix 2 York
- Appendix 3 Paris
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Abstract
While often disregarded in document-focused studies, legal space formed a crucial aspect of the development of late medieval law courts. These judicial bodies took shape in interaction with an urban landscape that both facilitated and bounded their physical presence in people's lives within as well as beyond the courtroom proper. In day-to-day practice, space was involved in courts’ strategies of accessibility, stimulating or impeding people to witness specific parts of a legal procedure. In addition, court procedure explicitly referenced features in the urban landscape, thus mutually investing procedures and spaces with meaning. In their own ways, the courts of Utrecht, York and Paris thus legalized their spatial environment while spatializing their legal procedures.
Keywords: medieval law courts, spatial history, urban history, medieval courtrooms, legal symbolism
Between 1400 and 1416, Nicholas of Baye filled the position of civil registrar (greffier) of the Parlement of Paris. Interspersed within the court's registers for this period he made notes on many events taking place in and outside of court. They often paint a very vivid picture of daily life at the Parlement. On one occasion, for instance, he mentions a decision taken by the court on June 4, 1404, concerning the use of one of the courtrooms:
On that day, because there was commotion about [the fact] that several functionaries and strangers had seated themselves in the chambers of this present council, in order to drink in the morning in the Chambre des Enquêtes, and thus could perceive the secrets of the court in a manner endangering and shaming the court, and that they did this while drinking too much, at overly excessive expense, and occupied [the chamber] at the time that it was to be used for counselling, [because of this] and for other reasons which have moved the court, the latter, with the two chambers combined, has ordained that henceforth while drinking in the morning in the aforementioned Chambre des Enquêtes none shall spend more than eight Parisian sous. And whoever does the contrary shall suffer the indignation of this court, and will be seriously punished.
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- Information
- Scripting Justice in Late Medieval EuropeLegal Practice and Communication in the Law Courts of Utrecht, York and Paris, pp. 71 - 112Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2022