English Law and the Renaissance / The Rede Lecture for 1901

Name: English Law and the Renaissance / The Rede Lecture for 1901
Author: Frederic William Maitland

By Frederic William Maitland

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History - British History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)Law & Criminology

About This Book

The lecture traces how English legal tradition maintained medieval doctrines even as Renaissance humanism and a continental revival of Roman law pressed upon it. It surveys scholarly debates and institutional responses that encouraged civil-law study while canon-law instruction waned, and examines how legal education, certain courts, and prominent legal thinkers negotiated the encounter between learned humanist methods and native common-law practice. By linking textual scholarship, academic reception, and procedural change, the account highlights tensions and accommodations within jurisprudence amid broader religious and intellectual transformation.

About the Author

Frederic William Maitland

Frederic William Maitland was a prominent English legal historian and scholar, known for his significant contributions to the understanding of English law and its historical development. His work often focused on the intersection of law and society during the medieval period. Maitland's notable publications include "Domesday Book and Beyond: Three Essays in the Early History of England," where he explores the implications of the Domesday Book on English governance, and "English Law and the Renaissance," which examines the evolution of legal thought during a transformative era. His scholarship remains influential in the fields of legal history and medieval studies.