The Consumption of Justice

The Consumption of Justice Emotions, Publicity, and Legal Culture in Marseille, 1264-1423 - Conjunctions of Religion & Power in the Medieval Past

Hardback (15 Oct 2003)

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Publisher's Synopsis

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the ideas and practices of justice in Europe underwent significant change as procedures were transformed and criminal and civil caseloads grew apace. Drawing on the rich judicial records of Marseille from the years 1264 to 1423, especially records of civil litigation, this book approaches the courts of law from the perspective of the users of the courts (the consumers of justice) and explains why men and women chose to invest resources in the law.

Smail shows that the courts were quickly adopted as a public stage on which litigants could take revenge on their enemies. Even as the new legal system served the interest of royal or communal authority, it also provided the consumers of justice with a way to broadcast their hatreds and social sanctions to a wider audience and negotiate their own community standing in the process. The emotions that had driven bloodfeuds and other forms of customary vengeance thus never went away, and instead were fully incorporated into the new procedures.

Book information

ISBN: 9780801441059
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Pub date:
DEWEY: 340.560944912
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 277
Weight: 582g
Height: 241mm
Width: 159mm
Spine width: 26mm