Description
Book SynopsisThe Liber legis Scaniae: The Latin Text with Introduction, Translation and Commentaries forms the second volume of The Danish Medieval Laws and is dedicated to the Latin text based on the Danish medieval Law of Scania.
Also known as the Old laws of Scania, the Liber legis Scaniae is ascribed to Archbishop Anders Sunesen and traditionally belongs to the corpus of Danish medieval laws. It was translated from Old Danish in the thirteenth century and until now has often been considered a subsidiary text. In this book, the importance of the Liber legis Scaniae is reexamined and its role in the first redaction of the Danish medieval laws is revealed as far more central than previously thought. This is the first time the text has been translated into English, and both the original Latin and the new English translation are included together.
Beginning with a detailed introduction providing key information about the text, its author
Trade Review
'This book offers an overview of the legal norms that governed medieval Scandinavian society in the early thirteenth century and opens intriguing questions about the Latin translator's purpose.'
Ken Pennington, The Catholic University of America, USA
Table of ContentsContents
A general introduction to the Medieval Nordic Laws translation
Foreword
List of Abbreviations
PART I
Introduction
The author
The text
The Liber legis Scaniae in Danish legal historiography
The manuscripts
Bibliography: introduction
PART II
The text
The Latin text with English translation
Correspondence between Liber legis Scaniae and the Law of Scania
Bibliography: text
PART III
Vocabulary
Andrew Sunesen’s language
1. How did Andrew learn his Latin?
2. Pronunciation and spelling
3. The vocabulary, syntax and style of Lex Scaniæ
Bibliography: Vocabulary
Glossary Latin–English
Index
