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 textfrom 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.
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 textfrom 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.
"This volume is more than a translation of the medieval Danish laws. The introduction to the law texts is a masterpiece of the form, comprehensive and efficiently informative. It will engage the scholar, and instruct the student. The translation is reliable and natural given the usual difficulties that arise rendering local legal concepts in another language. The brief introduction to medieval Denmark, setting the more general background for the laws, is remarkable for how much information it conveys with crisp clarity."
William Ian Miller, University of Michigan, USA
"Ditlev Tamm and Helle Vogt's translation is more than just a short introduction to Medieval Danish laws: it is not only an up to date synthesis, which calls upon recent research, but it is also very usable, thanks to an index and Old Danish-English glossary, which breaks the back of the work that one would have to do when thinking about the translation of Medieval legal concepts into modern day language. In summary, it is a book that specialists as well as non-specialists would benefit from consulting."
Tobias Boestad, Francia-Recensio
William Ian Miller, University of Michigan, USA
"Ditlev Tamm and Helle Vogt's translation is more than just a short introduction to Medieval Danish laws: it is not only an up to date synthesis, which calls upon recent research, but it is also very usable, thanks to an index and Old Danish-English glossary, which breaks the back of the work that one would have to do when thinking about the translation of Medieval legal concepts into modern day language. In summary, it is a book that specialists as well as non-specialists would benefit from consulting."
Tobias Boestad, Francia-Recensio