Medieval European private law from users' viewpoint: Analysis of practical manuals and preventive law techniques

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01241
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 05010:Legal theory and history-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: MIZUNO Koji 北海道大学, 大学院法学研究科, 教授 (80399782)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ヨーロッパ / 中世 / 法学 / 実務 / 人文主義 / 近世 / 紛争 / 学説

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Medieval and early modern European jurisprudence developed and refined not only doctrines, which would later lead to modern law system, but also so many techniques, which met needs in contemporary legal practice. Under the legal system different from that of modern times, where diverse and conflicting legal sources coexisted, these techniques were not “unmoral abuse of law”, but necessary means of preventive law or conflict resolution with as low cost as possible. They were created by prestigious lawyers, spread through practical manuals, and used in daily practice. We can recognize in them influence of humanism jurisprudence clearly.

Free Research Field

西洋法制史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

法学と法実務の関係は、従来〈法学→実務〉という方向で捉えられがちであったが、〈実務→法学〉のベクトルが歴史的に相当強いものだったことを具体的に論ずることができた。理論性が強いとみられがちな人文主義法学と実務テクニックの緊密な結びつきを論ずることができたことも大きい。実務テクニックのメディアたる実務向け法学文献についても、「学問的に低レベル」と片付ける従来の評価に対して、法学の日常生活への浸透や実務法曹養成への寄与など、多面的な検討のポテンシャルを明らかにした。これらの知見は、ヨーロッパの法（学）についての伝統的なイメージを大きく揺るがしうるものと考える。