Alfonso X, the Justinian of His Age : : Law and Justice in Thirteenth-Century Castile / / Joseph F. O'Callaghan.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Complete eBook-Package 2019
• VerfasserIn: O'Callaghan, Joseph F.,
• Place / Publishing House: Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2019]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (390 p.) :; 1 b&w halftone

In this magisterial work, Joseph O'Callaghan offers a detailed account of the establishment of Alfonso X's legal code, the Libro de las leyes or Siete Partidas, and its applications in the daily life of thirteenth-century Iberia, both within and far beyond the royal courts. O'Callaghan argues that Alfonso X, el Sabio (the Wise), was the Justinian of his age, one of the truly great legal minds of human history.Alfonso X, the Justinian of His Age highlights the struggles the king faced in creating a new, coherent, inclusive, and all-embracing body of law during his reign, O'Callaghan also considers Alfonso X's own understanding of his role as king, lawgiver, and defender of the faith in order to evaluate the impact of his achievement on the administration of justice. Indeed, such was the power and authority of the Alfonsine code that it proved the king's downfall when his son invoked it to challenge his rule. Throughout this soaring legal and historical biography, O'Callaghan reminds us of the long-term impacts of Alfonso X's legal works, not just on Castilian (and later, Iberian) life, but on the administration of justice across the world.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Note on Citations and Coinage -- 1. El Rey Sabio -- 2. The Law and the Lawgiver -- 3. Creating a Dynasty -- 4. The King and His People -- 5. Defender of the Faith -- 6. The Defense of the Realm -- 7. Litigants, Judges, and Lawyers -- 8. The Judicial Process -- 9. Marriage, Family, and Inheritance -- 10. The Law of Persons -- 11. The Law of Property -- 12. Trade and Commerce -- 13. Crime and Punishment -- 14. The Law of the Non-Christian Peoples -- 15. The Juridical Achievement of Alfonso X -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index