1. General
1.1. Definition
In modern parlance, jurisdiction describes the activity and function of courts of law. That does not, however, exhaust the meaning of the term in the early modern period: the word iurisdictio was a juristic technical term. It designated not only a specific governmental function, but also primarily a sovereign right that was of key importance to the legal justification for territorial sovereignty, especially in the 16th century. Iuri…