No current handbook addresses the entire discipline that goes under the heading "History of Medieval and Modern Law". The lack of a work dealing with this topic has been felt, especially for cultural reasons, for quite some time now: The history of national law systems needs to be extended in order to include the entire European context. This book is divided into six sections which correspond to important eras in the historical development of the law: the early Middle Ages (5-11th centuries), classical common law (12-15th centuries), the modern ages (16-18th centuries), the reform era (1750-1814), the age of nations (1815-1914), and the 20th century. The guiding principles observed by the text include formal legislation, legal thought, and legal customs, as well as their varying modes of interaction over the centuries. Special emphasis is also placed on legal methods, the history of justice, the role of jurists, and the legal professions. Besides the common and international features of law that engendered a "republic of legal culture" in Europe - including the evolution of Roman common law, canon law, the doctrine of natural law, legal Enlightenment - the book also deals with the history of law in important national contexts (Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, England) and underlines the specific roles played by these countries in each historical era, including recent developments regarding the European Union and the international recognition of human rights.

Antonio Padoa Schioppa teaches History of Medieval and Modern Law at the University of Milan.

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