Bücher der Reihe Routledge Medieval Translations

Guta Law, the law of the independent island of Gotland, is one of the earliest laws of Scandinavia and together with its accompanying Saga provides an invaluable insight into the lives of the people living on Gotland, the largest of Sweden¿s Baltic islands, in 1000-1400. This is the first time that these two important texts have been translated into English and combined in one edition, accompanied by an extensive commentary and historical contextualisation by Christine Peel. This innovative and timely translation will be fascinating and essential reading for scholars of Scandinavian studies and legal history.

The Liber legis Scaniae also known as the `Old laws of Scaniä, is the Latin text based on the Law of Scania, which was translated from Old Danish in the 13th century with the addition of explanations of and commentaries on the law. This book includes both the original Latin and a new English translation of the text, a detailed introduction, including reference to the influence from Roman law and Canon law, a glossary, and an essay by Sten Ebbesen, on Anders Sunesen, Archbishop of Lund, who has been ascribed as the translator and commentator of the Latin treatise.

The Gulathing Law regulates relations between the social classes, the king and his officers, the clergy, and the peasantry. Parts of the law appear to be a social contract between two parties: on the one hand the people, on the other hand the church and the king.

This volume presents the analysis, English translation, and critical edition of the Latin text of The Little History of the Lombards of Benevento, thus offering an important contribution for a better understanding of early medieval southern Italian (and Mediterranean) history.

The Vastgoeta Laws contains the translation of the oldest of the Swedish provincial law codes and other texts of great relevance to the legal history.

The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law is dedicated to two closely linked medieval laws which were intended to cover adjacent legal provinces in eastern Norway, around and beyond the modern capital, Oslo.The core of this book consists of new translations of the two laws, based on the recent editions and translations into modern Norwegian by Eyvind Fjeld Halvorsen and Magnus Rindal. Individual rules cover subjects such as Church rites, prohibitions, property, and payments, and shed light on medieval ideas relating to matters as diverse as disability, sexual relations, witchcraft, and forbidden foods. The volume contains a general introduction by Torgeir Landro and Bertil Nilsson, in addition to a translator's introduction by Lisa Collinson, summarizing in English some of the information on manuscripts and relevant linguistic studies outlined by Halvorsen and Rindal. The translated texts in English are also supplemented by footnotes, supplying key readings from the original, in some cases with significant variants from relevant manuscripts.With a commentary on the individual chapters after each translation, drawing on recent scholarship on medieval law, Church history, and other relevant historical fields, this book is an ideal resource for students and scholars of medieval Norwegian legal history.