Burgesses and Burgess Law in the Latin Kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1099-1325)

ISBN-13: 9780754656876 / Angielski / Twarda / 2006 / 238 str.

Marwan Nader

Opis

This is the first book devoted to the study of burgesses in the Latin Kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1099-1325). It offers a comprehensive assessment of the contributions made by the non-feudal class to the development of legal and commercial institutions in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. Dispensing with the commonly held view that burgesses had only marginal influence, evidence is presented to illustrate how the existence of a 'middle class' was essential to the ambitions of the kingdoms' leaders. A systematic examination of all relevant contemporary source material - charters, law-books and narrative accounts - sheds light on how serfs and freemen, originating from diverse regions of Europe, were able to organise themselves into a class whose status set them apart from non-Latin Christians and Muslims. The study considers at length the different ways in which burgess legislation was formulated; traces the gradual development of the Cour des Bourgeois, the court of burgesses, in terms of its composition and competence; describes in detail the burgess laws of Acre and Nicosia which related, for example, to marriage and inheritance; and defines the special characteristics of a type of property known as a borgesie which was mostly but not exclusively in the hands of burgesses. Dr Nader's research, furthermore, reveals the complexity of burgess jurisdiction and legislation in the East, and advocates the theory that secular courts established by ecclesiastical institutions exercised authority over burgesses and borgesies in matters which went beyond the parameters of purely ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

Recenzje

’This is an important book... Nader demonstrates an impressive command of both primary and secondary materials.’ Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies ’... this work enhances our understanding of the institutional and social history of the Latin East, and contains important material on the reasons why those from non-noble backgrounds participated in the crusading movement and in the Latin settlement of the eastern Mediterranean in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.’ Ecclesiastical History ’Nader's discussion of burgess jurisdiction is rich with examples and well grounded in the written evidence. As such, it will be very valuable for students and teachers.’ Speculum

Spis treści

Introduction; Chapter 1 Burgess Origins and the First Crusade; Chapter 2 Burgess Law-Making and Legal Institutions; Chapter 3 Borgesies; Chapter 4 Courts of Burgess Jurisdiction; Chapter 5 Church Courts; conclusion Conclusion;

O autorze

Marwan Nader is an Independent Scholar.