"The Danish medieval laws: the laws of Scania, Zealand and Jutland" contains translations of the four most important medieval Danish laws written in the vernacular. The main texts are those of the Law of Scania, the two laws of Zealand – Valdemar’s and Erik’s – and the Law of Jutland, all of which date from the early thirteenth century. The Church Law of Scania and three short royal ordinances are also included. These provincial laws were first written down in the first half of the thirteenth century and were in force until 1683, when they were replaced by a national law. The laws, preserved in over 100 separate manuscripts, are the first extended texts in Danish and represent a first attempt to create a Danish legal language.
The book starts with a brief but thorough introduction to the history of Denmark in the thirteenth century, covering the country, the political setting and the legal context in which the laws were written. There follows the translated text from each province, preceded by a general introduction to each area and an introduction to the translation offering key contextual information and background on the process of translating the laws. An Old Danish-English glossary is also included, along with an annotated glossary to support the reading of the translations.
This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of medieval Scandinavian legal history.
Author(s): Ditlev Tamm, Helle Vogt (eds.)
Series: Routledge Medieval Translations. Medieval Nordic Laws
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2016
Language: English
Pages: XIV+350
List of maps viii
A general introduction to the Medieval Nordic Laws translations ix
Foreword xi
List of abbreviations xiii
PART I. Introduction 1
Introduction 3
Denmark around 1200 3
The Church 8
The laws 10
The medieval laws in Danish legal history 12
The law texts 13
Translating medieval laws 14
The language of the laws 15
The law in the laws 18
The household 18
Courts and procedure 22
Village and agriculture 24
Ownership and different types of property 26
Inheritance 27
Sale 28
Mortgage and pledge 29
Prescription and possession 30
Objects without an owner 30
Responsibility for animals and slaves 31
Contracts 32
Crime and punishment 32
Bodily harm 34
Sexual offences 36
Theft and rapine 36
Military dues 37
Bibliography: introduction 39
Sources 39
Literature 40
PART II. The provinces and the laws 43
Scania 45
The Scanian laws 47
Dating 47
The manuscripts 49
The manuscript used for the translation 50
Editorial choices 51
The Church Law of Scania: translation 52
The Law of Scania: translation 56
The royal ordinances 97
Knud VI’s Ordinance on Homicide 28 December 1200 97
Manuscripts 97
Text 98
The Ordinance on Offering Compensation 101
Manuscripts 101
Text 101
The Ordinance on Ordeal by Hot Iron 102
Manuscripts 103
Text 103
Bibliography: Scania 106
Sources 106
Literature 106
Zealand 108
The province of Zealand 108
The laws of Zealand 110
Valdemar’s Law of Zealand 111
Dating 112
The law manuscripts 113
The manuscripts used for the translation and the editorial choices 114
The Church Law of Zealand 114
The law of Zealand known as the Law of Valdemar: translation 116
Erik’s Law of Zealand 153
Dating 153
The law manuscripts 154
The manuscripts used for the translation and editorial choices 154
Erik’s Law of Zealand: translation 156
Bibliography: Zealand 233
Sources 233
Literature 233
Jutland 235
The province of Jutland 235
Dating 238
The law manuscripts 239
The manuscript used for the translation and editorial choices 239
The Law of Jutland: translation 242
Bibliography: Jutland 294
Sources 294
Literature 294
PART III. Vocabulary 297
Vocabulary 299
I. Annotated glossary 300
II. Glossary Old Danish–English 317
Index 344
