Tolerance of Usury
In the Middle Ages, could usury be tolerated in the law?
Muslims in canon law, 650-1000
Christians first encountered Muslims as invaders. Bishops convened in Constantinople by Justinian II at the Council in Trullo of 692 respond to these ‘barbarian invasions’ in several canons.
Qui coierit cum muliere in fluxu menstruo… interficientur ambo (Lev. 20:18) – The Biblical Prohibition of Sexual Relations with a Menstruant in the Eyes of Some Medieval Christian Theologians
What attitudes did medieval Christian theologians have towards the prohibition in Leviticus of sexual relations with a menstruating woman?
Marriage Impediments in Canon Law and Practice: Consanguinity Regulations and the Case of Orthodox-Catholic Intermarriage in Kyivan Rus’, ca. 1000–1241
This paper focused on marriage alliances in Eastern Europe and the issue of canon law and consanguinity.
Unity and Diversity in Early Medieval Canonical Collections
This paper details differences and similarities in canon law sources in different regions.
Gratian, ‘Father of Canon Law’, was a bishop, historian finds
New research has uncovered that Gratian, a famous 12th-century lawyer who compiled the canon law text known as Decretum Gratiani, became the Bishop of Chiusi and died on August 10th in 1144 or 1145, according to paper delivered today at the 14th International Congress of Medieval Canon Law.
The Legal Framework of Divorce ‘a mensa et thoro’ and the Administration of Justice within the Low Countries
This paper discussed the divorce procedures in the Low Countries during the late middle ages and early modern period.
Adultery in Late-Medieval Northern France
This paper focused on adultery and canon law in later medieval northern France.
Qui facit adulterium, frangit fidem et promissionem suam: Adultery and the Church in Medieval Sweden
This paper was part of a series on Canon Law and Medieval Marriage.
Plenary Session: Learning the Law in the Carolingian Empire
How did Carolingians learn canon law? This paper examines lay knowledge of canon law during the Carolingian period.
Monastic ‘Centres’ of Law? Some Evidence from Eleventh-Century Rome
Cushing discusses her very preliminary research, which is part of a book-project about Monks and Canon Law in Italy.
Processus iudiciarius secundum stilum Pragensem:Its Manuscripts and Edition
This paper is a work in progress for further analysis of Puchnik’s work.
Taking Inventory of Manuscripts. Survey of Tasks Achieved and Tasks to Do
This paper was an informal discussion on the topic of manuscripts and canonical resources, regional statistics and the problems with current database compilation.
The Evolutions of Knowledge in Medieval Canon Law
This paper discussed the way canonical texts were compiled and the history of the shift in their compilation.
Erectile dysfunction in the Middle Ages
Like today, the problem of male impotence in the Middle Ages was often taken seriously and had important consequences for marriages and families. This can be seen in two court cases from 14th century York.
The Roman De La Rose and the Thirteenth Century Prohibitions of Homosexuality
This paper, a tentative approach by someone who is not an expert in this area or on this text, argues that Guillaume de Lorris offers a veiled description of a male to male love relationship.
Husbands, Wives, and Adultery in Late-Medieval Northern France
If painting a slightly less stark picture of gender inequality than the above account of total repression for women and total freedom for men, modern scholars generally assume that medieval European courts did not enforce the Christian prohibition against husbands’ adultery.
The Idea of Natural Rights – Origins and Persistence
Before turning to this early history there is one more aspect of the contemporary situation that I need to mention. Even in the Western world, the original homeland of natural rights thinking, there is no consensus—and sometimes overt skepticism—about the existence and grounding of such rights.
The Authoritative Text: Raymond of Penyafort’s Editing of the ‘Decretals of Gregory IX’ (1234)
The Decretals of Gregory IX, promulgated in 1234, was the first collection of canon law for the Catholic Church invested with universal and exclusive authority, and was the culmination of a century and a half process by which the a now papal-led Church came to be the leading institution within medieval European society.
The Conjugal Debt and Medieval Canon Law
The apostle Paul was the earliest influential spokesman for a Christian view of marriage and sexuality. Marital sex was, for Paul, a safeguard against human weakness (1 Cor. 7.1-2).
The Royal Safeguard in Medieval France
In the eyes of contemporaries, the royal safeguard of the fourteenth century descended from an unbroken tradition going back to the emunitas and royal tuitio of Merovingian Frankland.