Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Legal history
(1,280 words)

1. Definition

The history of law, on the one hand, may be understood as the history of culturally influenced legal norms and their application; on the other hand, the history of law (or legal history) designates the subdiscipline of jurisprudence and history (intellectual discipline) dedicated to the history of these norms, including their cultural, political, economic, and social contexts. The history of law in the latter sense can be subdivided according t…

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Klippel, Diethelm, “Legal history”, 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_026215>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20190801



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