This book discusses in detail how medieval scholars reacted to the casuistic discussions in the inherited Roman texts, particularly the Digest of Justinian. It shows how they developed medieval Roman law into a system of rules that formed a universal common law for Western Europe. Because there has been little research published in English beyond grand narratives on the history of law in Europe, this book fills an important gap in the literature. With a focus on how the medieval Roman lawyers systematised the Roman sources through detailed discussions of specific areas of law, it considers: *the sources of medieval law and how to access them *the development from cases to rules *medieval lawyers' strategies for citing each other and their significance *growth of a conceptual approach to the study of law. With contributions from leading international scholars in the field, this book therefore fills an important gap in the literature.

Presents a collection of the most influential essays on legal history from the career of John W Cairns. This collection covers the foundation and continuity of Scots Law from 16th and 17th century Scotland through the 18th century influence of Dutch Humanism into the 19th century and the further development of the Scots legal system and profession. The first volume of two, this collection of essays on Scots Law represents a selection of the most cited articles published by Professor John W Cairns over a distinguished career in Legal History. It is a mark of his international eminence that much of his prolific output has been published outside of the UK, in a wide variety of journals and collections. The consequence is that some of his most valuable writing has appeared in sources which are difficult to locate.

The second volume in a collection of the most influential essays on legal history from the career of John W Cairns. Enlightenment, Legal Education and Critique deals with broad themes in Legal History, such as the development of Scots Law through the major legal thinkers of the Enlightenment, essays on Roman law and miscellaneous essays on the literary and philosophical traditions within law. Both volumes collect together and reprint a selection of some of the many articles and essays published by Professor John W Cairns over a distinguished career in Legal History. It is a mark of his international eminence that much of his prolific output has been published outside of the UK, in a wide variety of journals and collections. The consequence is that some of his most valuable writing has appeared in sources which are difficult to locate. First volumes to collect in one place the legal thinking of John W Cairns; Volumes 11 and 12 of the respected Edinburgh Studies in Law series and key essays on Scots law, Roman law and the Enlightenment.

This book is an important contribution to the current lively debate about the relationship between law and society in the Roman world. This debate, which was initiated by the work of John Crook in the 1960's, has had a profound impact upon the study of law and history and has created sharply divided opinions on the extent to which law may be said to be a product of the society that created it. This work is a modest attempt to provide a balanced assessment of the various points of view. The chapters within this book have been specifically arranged to represent the debate. It contains an introductory chapter by Alan Watson, whose views on the relationship between law and society have caused some controversy. In the remaining chapters a distinguished international group of scholars address this debate by focusing on studies of law and empire, codes and codification, death and economics, commerce and procedure. This book does not purport to provide a complete survey of Roman private law in light of Roman society. Its primary aim is to address specific areas of the law with a view to contributing to the larger debate.