Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Court of law
(3,521 words)

1. Definition

Courts are institutions of the judiciary that resolve disputes and impose sanctions. The meaning of the German word for court, “Gericht,” was much less concrete in the early modern period than it is today; it did not designate a judicial authority in a particular building, with a regularly employed and constantly present staff of officials and a variety of official resou…

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Simon, Thomas, “Court of law”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019943>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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