sources, and the Recueil des histoires de Troie (ca. 1465), based on Boccaccio’s De
genealogia deorum. These works reflect the interest in classical and humanistic subjects
at the Burgundian court. Not only did Philip the Good institute the Order of the Golden
Fleece (1430), but he also commissioned a series of tapestries celebrating the deeds of
Jason and Hercules, the two heroes of Lefèvre’s romances. Lefèvre’s works were printed
by Colard Mansion (1475–76) and translated into English and printed by William Caxton
between 1469 and 1477.
Wendy E.Pfeffer
Lefèvre, Raoul. L’histoire de Jason: Ein Roman aus dem fünfzehnten Jahrhundert, ed. Gert
Pinkernell. Frankfurt am Main: Athenäum, 1971.
Hale, David G. “The Crisis of Chivalry in La vie du Prince Noir and L’histoire de Jason.” Acta 12
(1988):95–104.
LEGAL TREATISES
. Feudal or customary law existed throughout the Middle Ages. In the course of the 12th
century, however, there occurred a revival of Roman law that, after its beginnings at the
law school in Bologna, spread from southern to northern France. Everywhere, Roman
law penetrated into the schools. In the south of France, where customary law had always
been strongly influenced by Roman law, a vernacular summary of the legal Code of
Justinian, known as the Codi, was made available in the mid-12th century to the laity and
judges of Provence.
Two schools, Orléans and Montpellier, developed slowly into leading law schools in
the 13th century. Orléans had already produced a useful treatise on Roman law in the
12th century, the Corpus legum per modum institutiones, which demonstrated an
understanding of Justinian’s Codex. Montpellier’s law school dates from 1160, when
Placentinus, who had been educated in Bologna, established himself there.
Although both schools offered a curriculum in canon and civil law, the two most
important scholars in these fields did not belong to these institutions. Guillaume de
Montlauzun (d. 1343), a Cluniac, wrote commentaries on canon law and the
Sacramentale (ca. 1317), in which he explains theology to lawyers. Jean Faure discussed
civil law in the Breviarium (ca. 1325–30), which is a summary of Justinian’s Codex, and
the Lectura (ca. 1335–40), a commentary on four books of the Institutiones, law
textbooks designed for school use.
The Livre de Jean Roisin is a practical compilation based on Roman legal ideas that
sets out in some 120 chapters the rights of the citizens of Lille. It grew out of acts and
charters dating back as far as Philippe d’Alsace (r. 1168–91) but is first mentioned only
in 1349.
Claude J.Fouillade
[See also: LAW AND JUSTICE; NOTARIES]
Monier, R., ed. Le livre Roisin: coutumier lillois de la fin du XIIIe siècle. Paris, 1932.
Bloch, Marc. Feudal Society, trans. L.A.Manyon. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961.
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 1018