The interaction between law and society is strikingly illustrated by the evolution of Civil Law in Medieval and Modern Europe. The course proceeds from the Germanic invasions of Western Europe over the 4th and subsequent centuries, and the impact on the law of both invaders and invaded. It then turns to the rediscovery of Roman Law in Europe in the 11th and subsequent centuries and the gradual absorption of Roman Law into the legal systems of the German Empire, France, Spain, Italy and Scotland. The culmination is the Reception of Roman Law in those countries, followed by the Napoleonic Code and its offshoots which reincorporated Roman Law in a codified form but with the basic principles largely preserved.

Note: There are no prerequisites for this course and no special knowledge of Latin is required other than the usual legal tags.