Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

Get access

Legal certainty
(1,198 words)

1. Definition

Legal certainty (French sécurité juridique; German Rechtssicherheit) is understood today to be the constitutional principle of the dependability of a legal order; it thus is a fundamental part of the overarching concept of the rule of law. Today this principle is observed in many European states [13. 543–636][5. 543–636]. Legal certainty has been and continues to be used today generally as an argument in legislation and as a reference point both in the application of law and in j…

Cite this page
Eisfeld, Jens, “Legal certainty”, 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 01 April 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_026248>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20190801



▲   Back to top   ▲