Patrimonial jurisdiction was a special form of private jurisdiction that was usually linked to the possession of an estate (Latin patrimonium), hence to land holdings. It might apply to both civil and criminal cases.
1. The early modern period
Landlords had often conferred their jurisdictional competence on cities, monasteries, abbeys, and estates (Gutsherrschaft) since the Middle Ages. In Continental Europe, the lowest level of jurisdiction might thus lie in private hands, sinc…