EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR COMPARATIVE LEGAL HISTORY

JOURNAL: Právněhistorické studie / Legal History Studies LVI (2026), Nr. 2 [OPEN ACCESS]

2026-10-16T14:21:07.036+02:00

(image source: Charles University Karolinum Press)

On the journal:

Právněhistorické studie / Legal History Studies (Charles University journal; below referred to as PHS or Journal) is a scientific journal listed in the international prestigious database SCOPUS. The journal is published by Charles University in Prague under the guarantee of the Department of Legal History of the Faculty of Law of Charles University. It is published by the Karolinum Press. The journal focuses on the field of legal history and related topics. Issue 1 of the Journal was published by the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences Publishing in June 1955. The Journal was initially published by the Cabinet of Legal History of the Czechoslovak Academy of Science (CSAV), later by the Institute of State and Law (CSAV) and then by the Institute of Legal History of the Faculty of Law of Charles University. PHS is issued three times a year in April, August, and December and it presents original scientific works/papers as well as reviews, annotations and news from the scientific field of legal history. It also introduces annotated texts of a legal history nature. PHS accepts manuscripts from domestic as well as foreign authors. Manuscripts submitted by foreign authors are published in original language, namely in English, Slovak, German, French, Italian or Polish. PHS (ISSN 0079-4929) is registered in the Czech national ISSN centre (supervised by the State Technical Library). The Journal is registered by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic according to Act No. 46/2000 Sb., on Rights and Liabilities for the Publishing of Periodicals and Change of Some Acts (Press Act), and it is allocated with registration number of periodical press MK E 18813. PHS is an open journal and ensures open access to scientific data (Open Access). The entire content is released as open to the public on the web pages of the journal.

Table of contents (with links to the articles):

Editorial
Petra Skřejpková

Od rituálov k alimentácii: Náčrt raného vývoja fideikomisov v prospech familia libertorum
Timotej Práznovský
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.550
Abstract:
The paper explores the early development of the Roman legal institution known as the fideicommissum familiae relictum, with a particular focus on its application in favour of groups of freedmen (familia libertorum). It argues that the phrase ne de nomine suo exiret – commonly found in testamentary dispositions and funerary inscriptions – reflects a concern with ensuring the continuity of burial rites and private cults (sacra privata). Drawing on epigraphic evidence and legal sources, particularly the Digest of Justinian and fragments from jurists such as Aburnius Valens and Scaevola, the paper examines how land bequests to freedmen were structured to guarantee the upkeep of tombs and the perpetuation of ancestral worship. The analysis reveals that over time, particularly from the mid-2nd century CE onward, the institution appears to have shifted towards a more alimentary function, providing support for freedmen in the absence of biological heirs. Legislative developments, such as Hadrian’s ban on dispositions to uncertain persons (personae incertae), curtailed the long-term application of such fideicommissa, leading to alternative legal mechanisms, including transfers to municipalities. The development of fideicommissa in favour of freedmen thus illustrates broader transformations in Roman private law and social practice, including the decline of traditional religion and the rise of new forms of property management and welfare provision in the Roman world.
K vplyvu provinčných práv a východorímskych právnických škôl na zavedenie pojmu dos adventicia do justiniánskej kodifikácie
Róbert Brtko
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.551
Abstract:
The article examines the origin and legal significance of the concept of dos adventicia in Roman law. Although Justinianic sources and post-classical legal texts distinguish between dos profecticia and dos adventicia, the article proceeds from the thesis that this distinction was not originally formulated by classical Roman jurists. On the basis of an analysis of Ulpian’s fragment D. 23, 3, 5, the relevant scholia to the Basilica, the post-classical Regulae Ulpiani, and imperial constitutions preserved in Justinian’s Code, it is shown that classical law primarily operated with the category of dos profecticia, whereas other forms of dowry were defined only negatively, that is, as dowry not originating from the father of the family or from his property. Particular attention is paid to the interpolated passages in D. 23, 3, 5, 9 and D. 23, 3, 5, 11, as well as to the rescript of Emperor Gordian III preserved in C. I. 6, 20, 4. The article further examines the influence of provincial legal traditions, Hellenistic legal culture, and the pedagogical activity of Eastern Roman law schools, especially those in Berytus and Constantinople, on the terminology and systematics of the legal regulation of dowry. It concludes that dos adventicia should be understood not as an authentic classical concept, but rather as a product of post-classical legal development that was later incorporated into Justinian’s codification.
Between Custom and Sanction: Theft in the Vinodol Code and the Poljica Statute
Fuad-Meša Čičić
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.552
Abstract:
This paper addresses the regulation of theft as an illicit act in two major medieval Croatian legal monuments: the Vinodol Code (1288) and the Statute of Poljica. Rather than offering a systematic comparison of legal systems, the study concentrates on the legal nature, normative structure, and penal treatment of theft within these statutory frameworks, situating the offence in its broader social and institutional context. The central premise is that, although medieval law did not articulate theft through modern criminal-law categories, both statutes treated it as conduct attracting distinctly criminal sanctions rather than as a purely civil wrong. Attention is directed to the criteria shaping liability and punishment, including the manner of commission, the value of the stolen property, the status of the parties, and the communal or territorial context of the offence. In the Vinodol Code, theft is predominantly addressed through graded pecuniary sanctions and restitution, reflecting a compensatory model. By contrast, the Statute of Poljica adopts a markedly stricter penal regime, frequently prescribing corporal punishment, capital sanctions, and social exclusion, thereby emphasizing deterrence and collective self-protection within a customary legal order. Both legal monuments place considerable emphasis on communal participation in adjudication, including compurgation and character-based proof, illustrating a legal culture in which property offences were regulated through collective responsibility and social control. While certain conceptual parallels with Roman law may be observed, the regulation of theft in both texts is primarily rooted in native legal traditions shaped by local social structures and customary norms. The paper situates theft as a key indicator of the criminal dimension of medieval Croatian statutory law and its role in preserving social order and communal cohesion.
Autokratické tendence německého císaře Viléma II. ve vztahu k legislativnímu procesu Říšského sněmu (1888–1900)
František Stellner, Kristina Kaiserová
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.553
Abstract:
The study “Autocratic Tendencies of German Emperor Wilhelm II in Relation to the Legislative Process of the Reichstag (1888–1900)” analyzes the constitutional and political framework of the German Empire during the reign of Wilhelm II, focusing on his approach to the legislative process and interaction with the Reichstag. It examines whether the emperor’s attitude toward parliament evolved in connection with personnel changes in the highest German and Prussian offices and how the dual identity of “emperor-king” influenced governance. The paper discusses mechanisms of pressure and circumvention applied by Wilhelm II toward the Reichstag, including rhetoric, court networks, and personnel policy, and evaluates their limits within the federal structure. It also addresses the concept of “personal rule” and its historiographical interpretations, contrasting rhetorical antiparliamentarism with practical dependence on parliamentary majorities. The analysis combines micro- and macro-historical perspectives, using constitutional texts, parliamentary records, and correspondence of key actors. The conclusion emphasizes that despite autocratic impulses, the emperor’s power was structurally constrained, and legislative outcomes depended on negotiation and compromise, contributing to the gradual parliamentarization of decision-making in the German Empire.
Výzva svědomí a hledání spravedlnosti – Tolstého „Vzkříšení“ z pohledu práva
Radim Seltenreich
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.554
Abstract:
In his article, the author discusses Tolstoy’s work Resurrection, which is often characterized as a distinctly “legal novel”. For a better understanding of the context, he first introduces us to Tolstoy’s life and work, in which law played an important role, if only because he studied law, even though he did not complete his studies. In this context, for example, he showed a lifelong interest in the issue of the death penalty. The novel Resurrection is based on a real case that Tolstoy learned about from the famous Russian lawyer Koni. Tolstoy changed the facts somewhat, but it is interesting to note that in the novel he makes precise references to specific legal provisions during the court proceedings. The work is a strong criticism of criminal law and the prison system in Russia at the time, with Tolstoy also addressing the philosophy of crime and punishment, rejecting the punishment of one person by another as part of his “Christian anarchism”.
Veřejní notáři na meziválečné Podkarpatské Rusi
David Hubený
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.555
Abstract:
As in many other areas of the administration of Subcarpathian Ruthenia, in the area of justice, a number of temporary measures persisted, which proved to be long-term, but mainly functional, even if they did not fully satisfy the call for the fulfillment of autonomous status. In the case of public notaries, this was also mostly due to the fact that an independent organizational arrangement would not be practical and viable, considering the size and population of the given territory. Therefore, the public notaries of Subcarpathia were initially administered by the Košice judicial board, or rather by the local high court, and later joined the organization of Slovak public notaries. Looking at the biographies of many public notaries, one cannot help but get the impression that in the case of appointment to the position, it was a reward for previous political or official activity in favor of Czechoslovakia or the promotion of Slavic reciprocity, sometimes, on the contrary, it could be a saturation of a not entirely reliable public figure. Although, considering the very small number of notaries, it might seem that in the conditions of Subcarpathian Ruthenia it was a lucrative position ensuring more than a decent income, most of the public notaries there got into financial problems in the first half of the thirties, and even in times of boom not all positions were economically advantageous enough to ensure their holders a sufficient livelihood. Knowing this fact, it is clear how very poor Subcarpathian Ruthenia was and how desperate the situation of the vast majority of the local population was.
Německé vojenské soudnictví a vojenské trestní právo se zvláštním zřetelem k Protektorátu Čechy a Morava
Jaromír Tauchen
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.556
Abstract:
The article deals with the activities of the German military judiciary (Wehrmachtjustiz) in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during the period of Nazi occupation. Despite its significance, this issue has so far been neglected in Czech legal historiography. The study presents a systematic analysis of the structure, legal basis and operation of German military courts, whose jurisdiction extended beyond German military personnel to include Czech civilians. Particular attention is paid to the legal foundations of military criminal law, the specific features of court proceedings, and the ideological instrumentalization of military justice as a tool of repression. The functioning of military courts is illustrated through selected institutional examples, especially the military court of the 193rd Division stationed in Prague. The study demonstrates how military criminal law and procedure, especially after 1939, gradually developed into an instrument of terror used to suppress resistance, discipline soldiers and enforce ideological conformity. The text is based on original archival materials, including directives, military court rulings and legal regulations of the Third Reich.
Kodifizierung vertraglicher Rechtsgeschäfte zwischen natürlichen Personen im V. Teil des Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuches von 1964 in der Tschechoslowakei. Allgemeine Definition, politischer und internationaler Kontext und konzeptionelle Fragen
Jiří Šouša, Vít Mužík
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.557
Abstract:
Following the recent anniversary of the Czechoslovak Civil Code of 1964, this article contributes to the legal-historical and civil law scientific discourse on this legal regulation. The article is the first of two articles focusing on contractual obligations between natural persons. These obligations were intended to be supplementary to the services provided mainly by legal entities. It focuses primarily on codification work concerning contractual obligation law, its conceptualization, and the legal institution of civil assistance, all in the context of the preparation of the 1964 Civil Code, or rather in the context of the recodification of law in Czechoslovakia and other Eastern Bloc countries in the 1960s. The article also reflects specific cases and points out the similarities and specific features that distinguished the Civil Code of 1964 from a historical and international perspective. The article shows the extent to which the examined regulation of Part V of the Civil Code of 1964 was an expression of the political doctrine of the 1960s in the context of other innovations, or in relation to the traditional Marxist-Leninist doctrine. The article shows whether, and to what extent, similar to the later International Trade Code, it followed (or rather suffered from) traditional elements of obligations, albeit in a modified and truncated form and using the terminology of the time, in contrast to the rest of the 1964 Civil Code. The article highlights the differences between law in books and law in action. It therefore also addresses issues of continuity and discontinuity, autonomy of the parties’ free will, and the scope for judicial discretion with regard to the topic under examination. The article also reflects the finding that experience with the Civil Code of 1964 shows that the political utilitarianism of law does not necessarily limit its adaptability and functionality. On the contrary, even such regulations can be very adaptable to social and legal evolution. The most important general findings and insights from the research are clearly summarized in the conclusion. The article will be followed by another article by the same authors, which will focus on specific legal institutions of contractual law between natural persons according to the original wording of Part V of the Czechoslovak Civil Code of 1964.
„V krvi důkaz, ztratíš průkaz!“ aneb k trestnému činu opilství v socialistickém Československu
Milan Dobeš
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.558
Abstract:
The article focuses on the offence of drunkenness, understood as an endangerment offence, with particular emphasis on drink-driving. It combines a doctrinal legal analysis with an examination of criminal files from the District Court for Prague 1 and surveys the interpretation of the statutory elements, investigative and evidentiary practice, and sanctioning policy. In the sanctioning dimension, a central role is played by disqualification from activity – most notably disqualification from driving – conceived as an instrument of both special and general prevention and as a means of the immediate protection of public safety. The imposition and duration of disqualification reflected the degree of intoxication, the nature and circumstances of the driving, recidivism, and the offender’s professional responsibility; in more serious cases it was supplemented by a custodial sentence. The article also addresses practical issues in the enforcement of disqualification and their implications. The individualisation of punishment was further shaped by assessments and guarantees issued by workplace collectives and other socialist organisations, which could support the choice of a more lenient sanction or the early remission of the remainder of the disqualification.
The Concept of Possession in Roman Law and Common Law
Barbora Hniličková
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.559
Abstract:
This article examines the legal regulation of possession in Roman law and in contemporary common law. Its objective is to identify and assess the key similarities and differences between these two legal traditions and to demonstrate that, despite their fundamental systematic distinctions, the influence of Roman law on the development of common law has been more substantial than often assumed. The analysis shows that, notwithstanding divergent historical developments and systematic characteristics, both systems articulate conceptually comparable understandings of possession. The findings further confirm that Roman law contributed, at least to some degree, to the shaping of common law, underscoring the enduring reach of Roman law not only within continental legal systems but also within modern common law jurisdictions.
Crimen maiestatis: Symbolism and Ritual Protection of Authority in Roman Criminal Law
Marie Neumann
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.560
Abstract:
This article focuses on the development of the crime of high treason throughout the era of the Roman Empire, focusing on symbolism and ritual protection of authority in Roman criminal law. Using legal sources and historical cases, it illustrates the changes of this offence, with an emphasis on the changing perceptions of authority. The article draws on legal sources, especially the Code of Justinian and Theodosius and the Digest of Justinian, but also on non-legal sources, especially the work of Titus Livy, as well as other ancient historians. Furthermore, the article works with a variety of domestic and foreign secondary sources, especially monographs and scholarly articles.
Herbert David: Justice v říšské župě Sudety optikou vzpomínek jejího hlavního představitele
Adam Šplíchal
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.561
Abstract:
This study examines the fate of justice in the Reichsgau Sudetenland through the recollections of its leading representative, Dr. Herbert David (1900–1987). Drawing on archival research in German repositories and David’s own memoirs, the article reconstructs the transformation of the legal system in the Sudetenland after its annexation to the Third Reich in 1938. David’s memories, written decades later, represent a unique and hitherto underexplored source that illuminates the personnel challenges, institutional restructuring, and ideological pressures faced by the judiciary in this border region. His testimony reveals both the practical functioning of courts under Nazi rule and the tensions between local actors and central Reich authorities. By contextualizing David’s narrative with secondary literature on Nazi law and Sudeten German politics, the article highlights the interplay between law, ideology, and power in a newly established Reichsgau. It also addresses the limitations and biases of David’s recollections, while emphasizing their value as the only surviving insider account of judicial administration in the Sudetenland during the years 1938–1945.
Právní aspekty reorganizace československého divadelnictví po druhé světové válce
Kateřina Šustová
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.562
Abstract:
After World War II (in May 1945), Czechoslovakian theaters were reopened. The so-called theater revolution began, during which the theater industry in Czechoslovakia experienced fundamental changes in organizational structure. Despite the efforts of Austria-Hungary and the First Czechoslovak Republic, this space was still regulated by the Theater Act of November 25, 1850 (Ministry of the Interior law No. 454/1850). There were also plans to consolidate the regulation of the theater industry in Czechoslovakia, as Hungarian legal article XXXI had been in effect since 1848 in Slovakia. This was a different (and even older) legal regulation than the one in Bohemia. This work explores the legal considerations of the aforementioned reorganization of theaters. The main goal of the research is to describe how the pre-World War regulatory environment affected the evolution of theater industry regulation thereafter, including mapping out any significant path dependencies. This work subsequently addresses the regulatory changes that occurred in the theater industry after the adoption of the Theater Act in 1948. This author found that the adoption of the Theater Act in 1948 capped a long-term effort by theaters to modify the legal regulation of the theater industry. However, this impeded entrepreneurship and gave monopoly to government-designated theater operators, who were allowed to use the property of the previously private theaters. On the other hand, there were some positive changes, particularly in the field of theater education and puppet theater, which came to be seen as on equal footing with other types of theater arts. However, even the Theater Act of 1948 was not sufficient, and new theater regulation, Act No. 55/1957, on theater activities (Theatre Act), emerged shortly thereafter and came into effect on November 16, 1957.
That’s What Should Be Done! Reflections on the Margins of the Monograph of Peter Candy, Ancient Maritime Loan Contracts
Maciej Jońca
DOI 10.14712/2464689X.2026.563
Abstract:
In 2025, Dr. Peter Candy (University of Cambridge) published a monograph titled “Ancient Maritime Loan Contracts”. In it, he challenged many of the findings that had been firmly established in the study of Roman law since the 19th century. In his examination of Roman maritime law, he first undertook a “democratization” of the ancient sources. This led him to a surprising conclusion. Namely, the Romans (like the Greeks) did not recognize a separate maritime loan contract. They used a single, consistent loan structure that could be adapted for various purposes – including conducting business at sea. This work deserves attention among legal historians because the author not only debunked a (seemingly) unshakable dogma but also demonstrated how ancient sources remain a flexible and forward-looking subject for research. There are no topics about which nothing more can be written, as long as there are people who are not afraid to ask old sources new questions.
Ve službě právní historii – za profesorem JUDr. Karlem Malým, DrSc., dr.h.c.mult.
Vladimír Kindl
Zemřel doc. JUDr. Karel Schelle, CSc., spiritus rector Encyklopedie českých právních dějin
Ladislav Vojáček
BALOGH, E. (ed.). Golden Bulls and Chartas: European Medieval Documents of Liberties
Jan Marčík
VYŠNÝ, P. – MARTIŠKOVÁ, M. Praktikum zo svetových dejín štátu a práva
Ingrid Lanczová
POLLÁK, A. – KOLUMBER, D. – GAJARSKÝ, A. Keď zákony tvorí vláda a parlament mlčí. Zmocňovacia normotvorba na česko-slovenskom príklade v rokoch 1918–1945
Jan Kabát
TAUCHEN, J. (ed.) – KUBEŠ, V. Dějiny filozofie práva
Vojtěch Jarkovský
LACLAVÍKOVÁ, M. – DOMANICKÝ, M. Počiatky zľudovenia súdnictva a etablovanie funkcie sudcov z ľudu na Slovensku v rokoch 1948 – 1953 (normatívna báza a prvotné problémy)
Ingrid Lanczová

Read the full issue here.

WORKSHOP: Language, Sources and Land Law (Lodz: University of Lodz, 22 OCT 2026, 10:30) [ONLINE]

2026-10-16T14:11:10.246+02:00

(click on images to enlarge)

On  behalf of Stanisław Gozdz-Roszkowski and myself, I am delighted to invite you to participate in the "Language, Sources and Land Law Workshop", which will take place on Thursday, 22 October 2026. We will begin at 10:30 (Polish time) / 9:30 (UK time). The event  will be held entirely online.

The workshop is, in some respects, a culmination of the research we have been conducting over the past eighteen months on the language of English land law in eighteenth-century legal sources and treatises, thanks to funding received through the IDUB Interdisciplinary  Research Grant scheme at the University of Lodz.

In addition to a presentation of the projects aims, dataset, and linguistic analysis, there will be much more to discuss. We would like to share our plans for further research at the intersection of language and law, particularly within a historical context.

We have also invited a group of fabulous guests who will speak on related and equally fascinating topics. Our speakers will be: Joanna McCunn (University of Bristol), Dan Gosling (The UK National Archives) and Dorota Wiśniewska (University of Lodz). 

Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.
Simply save the date and click the link:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/340912218631407?p=huZBJWBuOlDzEMAe3q

(source: Prof. dr. Łukasz Korporowicz).

JOURNAL: Revue d’histoire des Facultés de droit et de la culture juridique, n° 41–42 (2021–2022) [Paris: SHFD]

2026-10-16T12:30:00.000+02:00

(image source: PUD)

La Société pour l’histoire des Facultés de droit et de la culture juridique (SHFD) annonce la parution du numéro double 41–42 de la Revue d’histoire des Facultés de droit et de la culture juridique.

Ce nouveau volume réunit de nombreuses contributions consacrées à l’histoire de l’enseignement juridique, aux grandes figures de la doctrine et de la magistrature, ainsi qu’à l’évolution de la pensée juridique.

Plusieurs dossiers thématiques structurent ce numéro, notamment autour de Théophile Ducrocq (1829–1913), professeur de droit administratif à la Faculté de droit de Paris, et de Pierre Mimin (1887–1980), magistrat dont les écrits et la conception de la justice font l’objet d’une série d’études.

D’autres contributions examinent l’histoire de l’enseignement des droits de l’homme dans les facultés de droit, les rapports entre l’enseignement juridique et les engagements politiques, ainsi que la place de la philosophie du droit entre juristes et philosophes.

Le volume comprend également des études historiques consacrées à Raymond Saleilles, à l’enseignement du droit au Collège de France et aux facultés catholiques de droit sous la Troisième République.

Le numéro est disponible à la commande, notamment à un tarif préférentiel pour les membres de la SHFD.

Sommaire complet et informations relatives à la commande : Portail universitaire du droit.

PHD Training: Semaine doctorale intensive (Paris: Sciences Po Paris, 14-18 JUN 2027); DEADLINE 15 DEC 2026

2026-10-16T09:00:00.000+02:00

(image source: Sciences Po)

INTENSIVE DOCTORAL WEEK - 16TH EDITION

The Sciences Po Law PhD Program will hold its forthcoming Intensive Doctoral Week (IDW) from 14 to 18 June 2027.

What is the IDW?

Since 2011, the Intensive Doctoral Week has been a leading PhD training lab for legal researchers. This unique 5-day experience brings together emerging scholars and renowned professors from all over the world to advance cutting-edge legal research through dynamic collaboration and peer exchange.

Who Can Apply?

We welcome PhD researchers at all stages from any field of law, including legal theory, law & society, democracy, digitalization, climate law, international law, critical theory, domestic law, European law, and all cross-cutting and interdisciplinary areas.

Your Personalized Program

Customize your own adventure from our rich menu of parallel sessions, including writing workshops to sharpen your academic skills, Interactive methodology classes, substantive panels on emerging legal topics, open roundtables for discussing research challenges an networking opportunities with IDW alumni community.

Languages and Format

Sessions run in French and English – present in your preferred language and engage in multilingual discussions. The bilingual format enriches perspectives and broadens your academic network.

Practical Information

Participants cover their own travel and accommodation costs. Lunches and social events are provided, with additional networking opportunities organized by our partners. Detailed logistics will follow for accepted participants.

Application Process

Deadline: December 15, 2026
Notification: January 31, 2027
Program details: Spring 2027

Submit your PhD project description through our online application. An independent expert committee will select participants based on originality, clarity, and potential for interdisciplinary dialogue.

Milan KUHLI, Strafgesetzbücher der Zwischenkriegszeit, eds. Arnd KOCH and Martin LÖHNIG (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2024) (Comparative Legal History, XIV (2026), nr. 1 (June), pp. 166-168)

2026-10-16T08:30:00.000+02:00

(image source: Taylor&Francis)

This compilation, edited by Arnd Koch and Martin Löhnig, deals with criminal law discourses and legislation in the early twentieth century. It refers to the interwar period (Zwischenkriegszeit), the period between the two World Wars (1918- 39). However, it is obvious that this period of legal history can only be comprehended if a broader temporal context is considered. Therefore, some of the case studies comprised in the book reflect issues concerning historical development between the mid-nineteenth century (eg in the article by Marju Luts-Sootak and Marin Sedman on the legal situation in Estonia) and the 1960s (eg in Danuta Janicka's account about Poland). Except for one article written in English (by Luts-Sootak and Sedman), the compilation is in German.
What is not apparent from the title of the anthology is the fact that the book focuses on legislation and discourse in Central and Eastern Europe. So, apart from an introductory article by Löhnig, the anthology comprises seven studies about the legal situation in individual territories in this European region. Attila Barna's article deals with the Hungarian criminal law, focussing on reform initiatives from 1908 and 1928. The latter reformed inter alia the system of fines and brought in the concept of the so-called serious criminal (Schwerverbrecher) which reflected discourses that could also be found in Germany during this time. Janicka's article deals with Poland, especially with the discussion about legal unification around 1918 and with the international network within which the debate took place. Furthermore, she shows the links to the concepts of the classical school of criminal law and to those of the sociological, 'modern' school. Koch addresses the history of Germany between 1919 and 1933, the so-called Weimar Republic. He notes that the project to comprehensively reform the German criminal code from 1871 (Reichsstrafgesetzbuch) failed during this period, but emphasises that the successes achieved in criminal policy during the Weimar period must not be forgotten. In this regard, Koch refers to the admission of women to the legal profession, the legislative regulation of fines, juvenile criminal law, and the reform of the prison system.
Luts-Sootak and Sedman focus on the Estonian Penal Code of 1929, which came into force in 1935. According to the authors [...]
To read the full review, please click here. Online access is free for members of the European Society for Comparative Legal History.
DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2049677X.2026.2671636

CONFERENCE: Contested Seas: War, Commerce, and the Making of the Law of the Sea (c. 1400–1800) [Ostend: VUB aan Zee / VLIZ, 19–20 November 2026]

2026-10-15T10:30:00.000+02:00

(image source: VUB)

The international conference “Contested Seas: War, Commerce, and the Making of the Law of the Sea (c. 1400–1800)” will take place on 19–20 November 2026 in Ostend, Belgium. Organised by Stefano Cattelan (Vrije Universiteit Brussel / Brussels School of Governance) and Frederik Dhondt (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), through the research group CORE in cooperation with the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), the conference will bring together scholars from legal history, international law, maritime history, and related disciplines.

The conference seeks to examine the historical formation of the law of the sea between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, approaching it not as a coherent and established body of rules, but as a contested legal order shaped by maritime warfare, commercial rivalry, competing claims to sovereignty, and jurisdictional disputes.

Through plenary and parallel sessions, participants will explore a broad range of themes, including the historical foundations of maritime sovereignty, the principles of mare liberum and mare clausum, neutrality and seapower, maritime capture and prize jurisdiction, and the interaction of different legal traditions and practices across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Asian maritime worlds. Further discussions will address the evolution of maritime jurisdiction, the regulation of shipboard activities, and the historical foundations of contemporary ocean governance.

The programme features two keynote lectures:
Prof. Indravati Hiltl-Félicité (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg), Beyond Mare Liberum: Empires and the Contest for Maritime Order – 19 November, 17:15–18:45.
Prof. Surabhi Ranganathan (University of Cambridge, Lauterpacht Centre for International Law), Seeking Other Oceans – Chokepoints Past and Present – 20 November, 09:30–10:45.
The conference will be held at two venues in Ostend:
19 November: Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Ostend.
20 November: VUB aan Zee, Graaf De Smet de Naeyerlaan 4, 8400 Ostend.
Registration is open until 18 November 2026. The registration fee is €70; students are exempt and can register by contacting stefano.cattelan@vub.be.

The registration form and details, as well as further information, are available on the official conference webpage.

The detailed programme can also be consulted here (PDF).

LECTURE: Octavio RUIZ-MANJÓN, "El planteamiento de la Restauración canovista" [Lecture Series 1876, une constitución para la concordia. A los 150 años de su promulgación, coord. Octavio RUIZ-MANJÓN] (Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia, 22 OCT 2026)

2026-10-15T09:03:00.000+02:00

(image source: RAH)

Abstract:

El pasado 30 de junio se cumplieron 150 años de la firma de la Constitución de la Monarquía Española que estuvo plenamente vigente hasta 1923. Fue una ley en la que, bajo la influencia de Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, predominó la idea de inclusión de la mayor parte de las fuerzas políticas a partir de los principios de transigencia y de tolerancia, así como por la de flexibilidad en su desarrollo posterior. La prolongada vigencia del texto constitucional facilitó la afirmación de un consistente sistema de predominio civil y la consecución de un elevado nivel de libertades personales. En los días finales de 1874, la situación política española parecía agotada y la situación política internacional parecía apuntar hacia la consolidación de regímenes de autoridad. En Francia se ensayaba un cierto cesarismo militar después de las convulsiones revolucionarias de 1871, mientras que acababa de establecerse el Imperio alemán, de tono conservador. Todo parecía apuntar hacia regímenes de orden.

More information on all lectures in the series here.

FELLOWSHIPS: 6-12 month Postdoc (Mainz: IEG Leibniz-Institut für Europäische Geschichte, DEADLINE 15 OCT 2026)

2026-10-14T09:02:56.356+02:00

(image source: IEG Mainz)

The Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) awards fellowships to postdocs conducting research in European history, the history of religion, and other historical disciplines (including Digital Humanities).

The IEG funds research projects on European history from the early modern period to contemporary history. We are particularly interested in projects

with a comparative or cross-border approach,
on European history, including its relation to the wider world,
on topics of intellectual and religious history,
with digital tools and methods, or
on environmental history.

WHAT WE OFFER

The IEG Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to pursue your individual research project while living and working for 6–12 months at the Institute in Mainz.
The monthly stipend is €2,100. Additionally, it is possible to apply for a family allowance (partner €250 Euro, first child €400, every further child €100).

REQUIREMENTS

Successful candidates are required to reside at the Institute in Mainz throughout the duration of their fellowship. For family-friendly arrangements, please contact the Fellowship Office. Fellows are expected to be active members of the IEG research community and to participate in the weekly colloquia and scholarly activities. Moreover, they will present their work in progress at least once during their stay. Applicants must have completed their doctorate no more than three years prior to the application. We expect proficiency in English.

APPLICATION

Applications can be submitted in either English or German. We recommend choosing the language you are most proficient in.

The IEG encourages applications from women.

LECTURE: Bethany McNAMARA-DALE, "Frameworks of German Sovereignty and Legal Reform: Pluralism and Contested Jurisdiction, 1770-1866" (London: Institute of Historical Research, 14 OCT 2026)

2026-10-14T09:00:00.000+02:00

(image source: IHR)

Abstract:

This paper examines legal reform as a multi-dimensional political, social and legal process across the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. It explores the supranational, state and social interactions with judicial reform, demonstrating the legal pluralism and fundamental arbitration culture at the heart of German law and state building. Focusing on Bavaria and Hessen-Kassel as primary case studies, it examines the experiences of legal reform in two contrasting examples of states which, for better or worse, survived the upheavals of the era. By focusing upon the courses and dynamics of inevitable jurisdictional tensions, this research provides a new lens through which to understand state-building and legal change. In doing so, it contributes to a richer account of multi-dimensional German governance and society, while also providing a critical historical perspective on the challenges of supranational order – demonstrating that state-building and legal reform were inherently contingent and intertwined.

Location:

Read more here.

BOOK: Max SKJÖNSBERG, The Spirit of the British Constitution: Parliamentary Reform from the Civil War to the Great Reform Act (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2026), 488 p. ISBN 9780691245652, 35 GBP

2026-10-13T09:00:00.000+02:00

(image source: Princeton University Press)

Abstract:

Eighteenth-century Britain was ruled by landed Protestant gentlemen who were united in their embrace of the country’s constitution, common law, and system of rights that had been confirmed by milestones such as Magna Carta in 1215, the Petition of Right in 1628, and the Glorious Revolution in 1688. Yet the British elite and the public at large were divided on fundamental political questions, such as how the constitution should work in practice and what reforms, if any, were needed to make reality cohere with theory. In this panoramic book, Max Skjönsberg provides the most comprehensive study to date of the history of parliamentary reform in Britain from the seventeenth century to the First Reform Act in 1832. At the heart of the book is the idea of the spirit of the British constitution, which was invoked by widely different political actors and thinkers throughout this period to argue for an array of reforms for the security of liberty. What this precisely entailed was deeply contested, with key figures such as Bolingbroke, Edmund Burke, Catharine Macaulay, William Pitt the Younger, and William Cobbett interpreting the spirit of the constitution in diverse ways, all the while seeking to remain within a constitutional framework. A landmark account of the English political and constitutional tradition, The Spirit of the British Constitution challenges us to rethink eighteenth-century history as well as the relationship between tradition, history, and freedom.

Author:

Max Skjönsberg is associate professor of humanities in the Hamilton School at the University of Florida. He is the author of The Persistence of Party: Ideas of Harmonious Discord in Eighteenth-Century Britain and the editor of Catharine Macaulay: Political Writings.

Read more here.

SEMINAR: Family Feud or Family Reunion? Comparative Law and Comparative Legal History as Siblings [Online: Comparative Legal History Dialogues Series, 15 OCT 2026]

2026-10-10T09:00:00.000+02:00

The journal Comparative Legal History, published on behalf of the European Society for Comparative Legal History (ESCLH), is organizing an online seminar entitled “Family Feud or Family Reunion? Comparative Law and Comparative Legal History as Siblings”, as part of its Comparative Legal History Dialogues series. The event will take place on 15 October 2026, from 12:00 to 13:00 (CEST), via Zoom.
The seminar will bring together three distinguished scholars:
Prof. Thomas Duve – Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory;
Prof. Ralf Michaels – Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law;
Prof. Jaakko Husa – University of Helsinki.
Comparative law and comparative legal history share a close intellectual relationship. During the nineteenth century, when comparative law emerged as an autonomous discipline, comparative lawyers frequently engaged with legal history. However, following decades of increasing differentiation and specialization within legal scholarship, the relationship between these two fields invites renewed examination.
The discussion will explore whether comparative lawyers continue to engage with comparative legal history, the extent to which both disciplines share methodological approaches and theoretical assumptions, and how comparative legal historians might contribute to contemporary debates within comparative law.
Following brief contributions from the invited speakers, participants will have the opportunity to join an open discussion.
Participation is free and open to the public. Registration is required by email at: clhdialogues@gmail.com.
The organisers warmly invite scholars, researchers, and students interested in comparative law, legal history, and legal methodology to participate in this exchange.

LECTURE: Anthony PAGDEN, From Empire to Federation: Can the European Union Become the Paradigm for a New World Order ? (Geneva: Graduate Institute, 20 OCT 2026) [HYBRID]

2026-10-09T09:00:00.000+02:00

(image source: Graduate Institute)

Anthony Pagden (Distinguished Professor of Political Science and History (UCLA) will hold a talk at the Graduate Institute in Geneva for the Fondation Pierre du Bois pour l'histoire du temps présent on 20 October 2026 from 18:30 to 20:00.

This takes place in the Maison de la Paix, Room A1B or online.

More information and registration here.

BOOK REVIEW: Panikos PANAYI, Legal responses to mass migration: from the nineteenth century to World War II, eds. Luigi NUZZO, Michele PIFFERI, Giuseppe SPECIALE and Cristina VANO (Abingdon: Routledge, 2025) (Comparative Legal History, XIV (2026), nr. 1 (June), pp. 162-165)

2026-10-09T08:30:00.000+02:00

(image source: Taylor&Francis)

This long, edited volume containing sixteen essays tries to address the question of legal responses to mass migration from the end of the nineteenth century until the post-Second World War period, an ambitious task. The editors, all Italian legal or legal history scholars, divide the volume into three sections covering 'Discourses', 'Policies and Institutions', and 'Legal Practices’; although the choice of location of the individual pieces is not always clear, especially in the case of those in sections 2 and 3. The chapters come from a 'collaborative research project on Legal History and Mass Migration' (xvi), focusing on the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although the editors sought to take an interdisciplinary approach, most of the contributions are written by either legal scholars or legal historians. The main focus is Italy and the Italian diaspora, and most of the authors work in Italian universities.
Section I contains five chapters, beginning with Eliana Augusti's ‘From Vitoria to Kant: A Genealogy of ius migrandi’, an interesting philosophical-legal discussion about the concept of ius migrantis, traced through a series of philosophers down to the present. The author demonstrates command of the evolution of migration policy, and the essay is well conceptualised and clear in its explanation of the various authorities with which it engages, adding an interesting perspective on migration and migration law and rights. Chapter 2, by Giulio Abbate, on 'Emigration and Colonisation: The Debate in Italy at the End of the Nineteenth Century', tackles the issue of legal attitudes towards the relationship between emigration and colonisation, which initially focused upon emigration only taking place as a result of trade but gradually moved towards the idea that it could be linked to conquest because it would bring civilisation. Chapter 3, by Virginia Amorosi, on ‘Leaving Italy: Transoceanic Migration and Legal Discourse in the City of Napoli (1901-1910)’, despite its title and the fact that much of this essay focuses upon Naples, actually covers a wide range of discourse which falls under the broad description of 'legal', focusing not simply on Naples but also more broadly on Italy, including the concern about the loss of people as a result of emigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Chapter 4, by Francesco Rotondo, on 'The "Peculiar Paradox" of the Criminalisation of Italian Immigrants in Argentina in the Late Nineteenth Century' examines this process by focusing upon a series of individuals who concentrated up on perceived criminality and sickness against the background of a significant increase in the movement of people into Argentina at the end of the nineteenth century [...]

To read the full review, please click here. Online access is free for members of the European Society for Comparative Legal History.

DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2049677X.2026.2671635

BOOK: Francesco GAMBINO & Massimo MECCARELLI (eds.), Vittime e senso di giustizia. Processi di elaborazione individuali e collettivi (Bologna: il Mulino, 2026), ISBN 9788815395986, € 26

2026-10-08T09:49:00.000+02:00

(image source: il Mulino)

Abstract:

Nello scenario attuale, dove i rapporti di forza tra individui, poteri e corpi sociali subiscono in vario modo energiche e repentine distorsioni, irrompendo nelle vite dei singoli, è più che mai necessario riflettere sul tema delle vittime. Questo volume presenta gli esiti di una ricerca interdisciplinare che ha coinvolto giuristi, storici, sociologi e studiosi di letteratura, con lo scopo di distinguere le diverse dimensioni del fenomeno: soggettiva, sociale e istituzionale, storica, filosofica, giuridica e processuale, rappresentativa. Si affacciano molte domande: sul rapporto tra paradigma vittimario e società, sulle forme di riparazione, sulla distorsione dell’immagine della vittima nel processo, sul ruolo delle vittime nella memoria collettiva, sull’oblio, e non da ultima sulla psicologia delle vittime. L’obiettivo è intercettare, dietro la diffusa domanda di giustizia, nuove forme di coesione sociale.

Editors:

Francesco Gambino è professore ordinario di Diritto civile nell’Università di Macerata. Finalista del premio Viareggio Rèpaci, sezione saggistica, con «In sala con il diritto» (La nave di Teseo, 2023). Massimo Meccarelli è professore ordinario di Storia del diritto medievale e moderno nell’Università di Macerata. È condirettore di «LawArt. Rivista di Diritto, Arte, Storia».

Read more here.

BOOK: Dante FEDELE & Orazio CONDORELLI (eds.), Droit international et relations interconfessionnelles : étude d'une dynamique historique (XVe-XXe siècle) [Études d’histoire du droit et des idées politiques, vol. 40; dir. Florent GARNIER] (Toulouse: Presses de l'Université Toulouse Capitole, 2026) [OPEN ACCESS]

2026-10-07T09:41:00.000+02:00

(image source: openedition)

Abstract:

Issu d’un projet international mené par le Centre d’histoire judiciaire (CNRS-Université de Lille) et le Département de droit de l’Université de Catane, cet ouvrage explore les relations complexes entre droit international et relations interconfessionnelles du XVe au XXe siècle. À rebours d’une vision longtemps dominante qui faisait de la modernité juridique l’aboutissement d’un processus linéaire de sécularisation, les contributions réunies ici interrogent les modalités selon lesquelles les rencontres et les conflits entre groupes de religions différentes ont contribué à façonner des concepts, des principes et des pratiques ayant structuré le droit international. Adoptant une perspective de longue durée, l’ouvrage envisage le droit international non pas comme un simple ordre interétatique, mais comme un cadre normatif pluriel destiné à réguler les interactions entre des acteurs aux statuts variés. À travers une série d’études de cas couvrant les périodes médiévale, moderne et contemporaine, il montre combien les débats théologiques et canoniques ont nourri la recherche de formes de coexistence et de dialogue entre confessions. En proposant une réflexion historique sur un sujet dont l’actualité demeure manifeste, ce volume contribue à une meilleure compréhension des dynamiques religieuses qui continuent de façonner les relations entre les sociétés humaines.

Editors:

Dante Fedele (dir.) Chargé de recherche HDR au Centre d'Histoire Judiciaire (HMR 8025 CNRS-Université de Lille) Orazio Condorelli (dir.) Professeur de Droit et Religion, Université de Catane

Read the full book on openedition.

BOOK: William MAGNUSON, The Just and the Good. How Law made the Western World (Georgetown: Georgetown University Press, 2026), 342 p. ISBN 9781647127428 € 29,28

2026-10-06T09:35:00.000+02:00

(image souce: Amazon)

Abstract:

Explore how the pillars of the rule of law―from the courts of ancient Athens to the Constitution of the United States―were built In The Just and the Good, William Magnuson takes readers on a sweeping tour of the history of the law in Western civilization. He explains how foundational institutions like courts, codes, and constitutions magically transform the worlds they govern. And he argues that if we want to understand the foundations of freedom, justice, and democracy, we need to begin by looking at the history of the law. In each chapter, Magnuson explores how the pillars of the rule of law were built. How did the courts of ancient Athens create the world's first democracy? Why did the barons of medieval England insist that King John sign the Magna Carta? What was so revolutionary about the American Constitution? And why did it take so long to abolish slavery? Magnuson shows that the answers to these questions are not always as simple as they seem. Good laws require ingenuity, problem-solving, and compromise. A landmark work, The Just and the Good teaches us where our ideas of justice came from and why they are worth saving.

Read more here.

CONFERENCE: Harvard Graduate Student Conference on International History (Con-IH) 2027: 'Transimperial Histories' (26-27 MARCH 2027) [DEADLINE 13 NOV 2026]

2026-10-05T12:25:03.966+02:00

(Source: Harvard University)

The 2026-2027 organizing committee for the Harvard Graduate Student Conference on International History (Con-IH) invites graduate students to submit proposals for its annual conference. This year’s theme is Transimperial Histories.

Building on contributions since the 1990s from new imperial history and postcolonial studies, scholars of global and international histories have increasingly looked beyond normative imperial boundaries to incorporate multiple empires within their research. This expansion in scope has allowed for insights into imperial mechanisms otherwise overlooked when empires are studied as singular, contained units or in comparison to other empires. Articulated and popularized most prominently by Daniel Hedinger and Nadin Hée, “Transimperial History” centers on the “3Cs”— connectivity, cooperation, and competition—between and across empires to understand a world in which a multiplicity of imperial powers were, and still are, inextricably linked. A transhistorical approach therefore provides new insights into the production of imperial knowledge, the mobility of anticolonial struggles, and the circulation of people, goods, and ideas across imperial borders. Recent decades have revealed transimperial history to be a timely methodology for contemplating the “crisis of the global” and the resurgence of imperial thinking in our fragmented, multipolar world.

On this theme, Con-IH 2027 seeks to promote cross-disciplinary as well as cross-regional historical approaches. We welcome submissions from individuals at any point in their graduate program, particularly those in the early stages of research, that address one or more of the themes below. It should be considered that this list is only suggestive.

Law
Religion
Textuality
Globalization
Economic and business history
Capitalism
Oceanic and maritime history
Environmental history
Borders and boundaries
Decolonization
Gender
Labor
Race
Migration and diaspora
Culture and identity
Media studies

Accepted papers will be grouped for presentation in roundtables, tentatively scheduled for March 26-27, 2027. Each group will receive individual attention from a faculty commentator. Participation in Con-IH presents an unparalleled opportunity to engage in lively and lengthy discussions with an emerging cohort of researchers-in-training from around the world, as well as with faculty from Harvard and elsewhere.

Graduate students interested in participating in the conference should submit a 300-word proposal and one-page Curriculum Vitae in a single PDF document to conih@fas.harvard.edu. Please title your submission “Lastname_ShortTitle.” Proposals must be received by November 13, 2026 in order to be considered. Please note that funding for travel and accommodations cannot be guaranteed at this time. As the date approaches, additional information will be posted on this page.

More information here.

BOOK: Dan EDELSTEIN, The Revolution to Come: A History of an Idea from Thucydides to Lenin (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2026), 432 p. ISBN 9780691231860, 24,95 USD

2026-10-05T09:32:57.032+02:00

(image source: Princeton UP)

Abstract:

Political thinkers from Plato to John Adams saw revolutions as a grave threat to society and advocated for a constitution that prevented them by balancing social interests and forms of government. The Revolution to Come traces how evolving conceptions of history ushered in a faith in the power of revolution to create more just and reasonable societies. Taking readers from Greek antiquity to Leninist Russia, Dan Edelstein describes how classical philosophers viewed history as chaotic and directionless, and sought to keep historical change—especially revolutions—at bay. This conception prevailed until the eighteenth century, when Enlightenment thinkers conceived of history as a form of progress and of revolution as its catalyst. These ideas were put to the test during the French Revolution and came to define revolutions well into the twentieth century. Edelstein demonstrates how the coming of the revolution leaves societies divided over its goals, giving rise to new forms of violence in which rivals are targeted as counterrevolutionaries. A panoramic work of intellectual history, The Revolution to Come challenges us to reflect on the aims and consequences of revolution and to balance the value of stability over the hope for change in our own moment of fear and upheaval.

On the author:

Dan Edelstein is the William H. Bonsall Professor of French and (by courtesy) professor of political science and of history at Stanford University. His many books include On the Spirit of Rights and The Terror of Natural Right: Republicanism, the Cult of Nature, and the French Revolution.

Read more here.

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION: Crimes et justices de guerre (1430-1945) (Criminocorpus)

2026-10-02T11:06:38.778+02:00

(image souce: Criminocorpus)

Curators:

Bentéboula Maurena, Chinaud-Robert Effie, Dubs Marcel, Dufresne-Taillon Esteban, Fouquet Julien, Mazy Vincent, Rahier Alain, Renard Maxime, Richelle Sophie, Sergent F., Stennier Perrine, Tlili-Bourgeois Guillaume, Vermeersch Romain, Wouters Théo

Abstract:

Ce projet est le fruit d’une école doctorale qui s’est tenue en juin 2026, en collaboration entre l’Université catholique de Louvain, l’Université de Liège et l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Il est né de l’association de deux projets de recherche, respectivement portés sur les origines médiévales de la notion de crime de guerre et sur le déploiement de la justice militaire du XIVe au XXe siècle. Les jeunes scientifiques ont construit cette exposition virtuelle comme une rencontre entre leurs propres recherches et le partage au public d’un thème encore méconnu, quoique largement fantasmé par la culture populaire.

Consult the exhibition here.

BOOK REVIEW: Elisabetta FUSAR POLI, Law and art in the 19th century. Power in images, eds. Giovanni ROSSI and Pietro SCHIRÒ (Pisa: Pacini, 2024) (Comparative Legal History, XIV (2026), nr. 1 (June), pp. 158-161)

2026-10-02T08:30:00.000+02:00

(image source: Taylor&Francis)

The book edited by Giovanni Rossi and Pietro Schirò (opening the 'Immagini, Diritto e Storia' series directed by Rossi himself) is a collaborative effort that owes its overall value first of all to its editors drawing on their long-standing academic background in the Law and Humanities field. Notably, they sought to explore the intertwining of law, power, and images in the nineteenth century, sparking a broad international debate through the conference (held in Verona, 19-21 October 2022) which gave rise to the book and nurtured its truly appreciable diversity of contents and perspectives.
This plurality has been appropriately structured by the editors into four sections: ‘The Representation of Power', 'Revolutions, Laws, Art', 'The Force of Law and the Tyranny of Power’, and ‘Tangible Forms of Law'. Rossi's introduction ('A proposito di immagini e di diritto. Un percorso tra visual culture e storia legale', 9-31) helps clarify this inner structure and is, at the same time, an integral part of the volume, serving as both a 'map for sailors' and a toolbox for the reader: It is indeed a substantial introduction, which can also be considered partly programmatic. According to Rossi's introduction, the image (artistic or not) takes on an important heuristic value, as a vehicle, a medium of ideas, concepts, and values connected to law and power, if not also an essential part of an affirmative or negative narrative of power itself. The 'gamble' that animates the scientific and editorial project of the conference and book is that of 'guaranteeing depth and historical interpretation to an aspect as pervasive as it is often underestimated, such as that of the translation into images of the values and myths of law and power. In other words, the aim is 'laying bare the colossal operation of […]

To read the full review, please click here. Online access is free for members of the European Society for Comparative Legal History.

DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2049677X.2026.2671634

SEMINAR: La relazione fra etica e diritto. Storia e fascino di un enigma (Roma: Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici, 9 Ottobre 2026)

2026-10-01T14:13:06.992+02:00

(Source: Storia del diritto)

BOOK: Zachary HERZ, The God and the Bureaucrat: Roman Law, Imperial Sovereignty and Other Stories [Studies in Legal History] (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025), 422 p., ISBN 9781009629928

2026-10-01T09:30:00.000+02:00

(image source: CUP)

Abstract:

Why is Roman law so boring? In this book, Zachary Herz argues that the bureaucratic, positivistic world of Roman law is not a distraction from the violent autocracy of the Roman empire, but an imagined escape. Lawyers, bureaucrats, and even emperors used legal writing to think about worlds that were safer or fairer than the one in which they lived. This archive of political imagination slowly became a law-code, and now guides readers through a legal system about which its authors could only dream. From Augustus to Justinian, this book shows how law symbolized order in chaotic times, and how that symbol eventually took on a life of its own. From the enlightened judgements of Hadrian to the great jurists and child rulers of Severan Rome, Herz reveals what Romans were really talking about when they talked about law.

On the author:

Zachary Herz, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Table of contents:

Introduction: Did Romans Have Law?
Two Kinds of Thinking About Hay Slouching Towards Bologna
Cicero and the Talking Law
Part I: Nevertheless, We Live According to the Laws
1. Augustus and the Birth of Imperial Legality
Law and Laughter, After Actium
Restoring the New Order
Lampreys and the Higher Law
Sex and the Imperial Subject
2. The Emperors Who Obeyed the Law: Vespasian, Titus, Trajan
The Power of Vespasian's Law
Predictability, Paternity, and the Emperor Titus
Law as Imperial Etiquette: The Case of Pliny
3. Letters from a God: Hadrian and the Rescript System
Hadrian's Revolution
The Perpetual Edict
The Right of Response and Juristic Centralization
The Rescript System
Rescripts and the Language of Power
Part II: Law Without Order
4. Inheritance, Authority, and Alexander Relabeling of Legal Correspondence Methodology: How to Do Things with Justinian
The Rule of Precedent
Law in a World of Children
5. Juristic Reasoning, Citational Practices, and Law at the End of an Empire
Brilliant Cogs
A Severan Notion of Goodness Citation, Anonymity, and Regicide
Part III: New Rules
6. Towards Late-Antique Legalities Settled Law in Unsettled Times Codification: Indexing Sovereignty
How to Build a Rechtsstaat Without Really Trying
The Afterlife of the Severan Jurists
7. The Embodiment of the Civil Law
"The Whole of the Ancient Law:" The Corpus Iuris Ciuilis in Justinian's Words Why Imperial Constitutions Look Nicer in Retrospect
The Death of a Crossdresser and the Life of a Treatise
The Law, Ensouled
Conclusion: What We Talk About When We Talk About Roman Law
The Lawyer in the Maelstrom
What Law Does Instead
Appendix 1 Juristic Citations of Imperial Lawmaking in the Digest
Appendix 2 Precedential Reasoning in the Codex Justinianus
Appendix 3 Rule-Consequentialist Reasoning in the Digest
Bibliography
Index of Terms
Index of Sources

Find more on CUP.

BOOK REVIEW: Jan MARKERT on Eckart CONZE, Friedlos. Die Deutschen zwischen Kriegsgewalt und Friedenssuche von 1648 bis heute (München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2026) (H/Soz/Kult)

2026-09-30T10:07:00.000+02:00

(image source: H/Soz/Kult)

First paragraph:

Die Frage nach der Aktualität historischer Publikationen ist nicht immer leicht zu beantworten. Der wissenschaftliche Blick in die Vergangenheit grenzt jede Gegenwartsbezogenheit meist auf strukturabstrakte Kontinuitätsdebatten oder Forschungskontroversen ein. Nur selten gewinnen Bücher und Studien a posteriori durch tagesaktuelle Entwicklungen explizit den Charakter eines Kommentars des Zeitgeschehens. Einer dieser Ausnahmefälle liegt jedoch mit Eckart Conzes umfassender Darstellung der deutschen Kriegs- und Friedensgeschichte vor. Das Nachwort datiert den Abschluss der Manuskriptarbeiten auf den Januar 2026 (S. 510). Nur einen Monat später wurde auch Deutschland durch den Beginn des Irankrieges vor neue sicherheitspolitische Herausforderungen gestellt. Dieser neue globale Konflikt verleiht dem Buch des Marburger Historikers geradezu ungewollt Tagesaktualität, weshalb es nicht nur für ein geschichtsinteressiertes Publikum von Interesse sein dürfte.

Read more here.

LECTURE SERIES: Société d'Histoire du Droit (Paris: Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 2026-2027)

2026-09-29T08:43:15.168+02:00

(image source: SHD)

The Société d'Histoire du Droit announced its calendar of public lectures for the academic year 2026-2027. The SHD's members can assist both physically (Salle des Conseils, Place du Panthéon) and virtually (by means of les étranges lucarnes) to these interventions.

The Journées internationales will take place in Aix-en-Provence in June 2027, on the theme La justice dans la cité.

Consult the poster here.

FELLOWSHIPS: Turku Institute for Advanced Studies - Open Vacancies (Turku: Turku Institute for Advanced Studies; DEADLINE 13 NOV 2026)

2026-09-28T11:03:20.918+02:00

(image source: Turku University)

TIAS is currently inviting applications for four Collegium and four Postdoctoral Fellow positions as well as seven TIES2 Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND fellowship positions.

All positions are for three years and will start in September 2027.

TIES2 applicants must meet the EU MSCA mobility rule that they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Calls are open from 18 September – 13 November 2026.

Instructions for applicants TIAS Call 2026-2027 (4 Collegium and 4 Postdoctoral Fellow positions)

Instructions for applicants TIES2 MSCA COFUND Fellows Call 2026-2027 (7 positions)

TIAS currently hosts three types of Fellow:

Postdoctoral (within 5 years of having passed their PhD)
Collegium (early-to-mid career, within 12 years of having passed their PhD).
Marie Skłodowska-Curie (TIES) Fellows (within 8 years of having passed their PhD).

Fellows are appointed for three year periods and in addition to salary receive an annual research allowance (3 800 €).