Crime and Justice in Late Medieval Italy

An examination of the history of crime and criminal justice in late medieval Italy.

Trevor Dean (Author)

9780521153836, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 June 2010

238 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.45 kg

"Social historians, legal historians, and students of medieval Italy will be glad to find a place on thier shelves for this engaging, well-written, and superbly researched book." -Blake R. Beattie, The Historian

In this important study, Trevor Dean examines the history of crime and criminal justice in Italy from the mid-thirteenth to the end of the fifteenth century. The book contains studies of the most frequent types of prosecuted crime such as violence, theft and insult, along with the rarely prosecuted sorcery and sex crimes. Drawing on a diverse and innovative range of sources, including legislation, legal opinions, prosecutions, chronicles and works of fiction, Dean demonstrates how knowledge of the history of criminal justice can illuminate our wider understanding of the Middle Ages. Issues and instruments of criminal justice reflected the structure and operation of state power; they were an essential element in the evolution of cities and they provided raw material for fictions. Furthermore, the study of judicial records provides insight into a wide range of social situations, from domestic violence to the oppression of ethnic minorities.

Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. Sources: 1. Trial records
2. Chronicles
3. Fiction
4. Statute law
5. Consilia
Part II. Description and Analysis: 6. Insult and revenge
7. Sex crimes
8. Potions and poisons
9. Violence
10. Theft
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Legal history [LAZ], European history [HBJD]