Description
Book SynopsisIn this important study, Trevor Dean examines the history of criminal justice in late medieval Italy. Drawing on a diverse and innovative range of sources, Dean demonstrates how knowledge of the history of criminal justice can illuminate our wider understanding of the Middle Ages.
Trade Review"Historians working in a number of fields will undoubtedly want to tackle his conclusions and forward the debate--perhaps the best kind of compliment for a book of this sort... This is a book that provides both the theoretical justification for its approach and the practical demonstration of its worth, and it deserves a very wide readership." -Frances Andrews, H-Law
"Dean writes with a clear, straightforward, and even Spartan style...a nuanced examination of crime throughout Italy, providing a much needed survey of Italian criminal justice." Sarah Whitten, UCLA, Comitatus
"This is a carefully constructed, well-written, even understated study of an important set of issues in social and legal history. Those who read it...will be impelled to move beyond where Dean has gone, less because of failings or omissions than because of his sensible lead." -Thoman Kuehn, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies
"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
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; 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.
