Fordham


IHSP

Medieval History

Selected Sources Full Text Sources Saints' Lives Law Texts Maps Medieval Films Search Help

Selected Sources Sections Studying History End of Rome Byzantium Islam Roman Church Early Germans Anglo-Saxons Celtic World Carolingians 10 C Collapse Economic Life Crusades Empire & Papacy France England Celtic States Nordic Europe Iberia Italy Eastern Europe Intellectual Life Medieval Church Jewish Life Social History Sex & Gender States & Society Renaissance Reformation Exploration
IHSP Credits

Medieval Sourcebook:
The Law of Brusthem, 1175

In a mixed marriage between a freewoman and a serf living in Brusthem, her free condition was protected only if her husband was not claimed by his lord before his death. If the marriage was only discovered after the husband's death, then she had the rights of a freewoman.

C.3. If the serf of another, living in this town, take in marriage a woman not his equal, and if his lord claim her while her husband is alive, she shall serve him as her lord, as justice demands. But if the serf die in peace, without being reclaimed by his lord, if the lord afterwards claim the goods of the dead man and exact a portion, the wife shall take as great a portion of them as she wishes and shall declare in the presence of the court that she has done so. And her unassisted oath will be taken that she has not more of her husband's goods (than she says she has). If, when she has taken the oath, she wishes for more, and has taken any of them, there will be a free dlvision of the rest of her goods and all her possessions.

Source.

From: C. Piot, ed., Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Trond, (Brussels: Académie Royale de Belgique, 1870), p. 124; reprinted in Roy C. Cave & Herbert H. Coulson, eds., A Source Book for Medieval Economic History, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1936; reprint ed., New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1965), p. 278.

Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton. The text has been modernized by Prof. Arkenberg.

This text is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.

Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.

© Paul Halsall, October 1998
halsall@fordham.edu

 


The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of  Fordham University, New York. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at the Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University.  Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.

© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 15 November 2024 [CV]