122 EARLY MEDIEVAL SPAINhas already been outlined in a previous chapter. Mter the issue of
Leovigild's revision of the Code of Eunc, at some unspecified point in
his reign, a period of nearly three-quarters of a century elapsed be-
fore further codification was undertaken. This time, however, it was
not just a question of revision and amplification of an existing cor-
pus, but rather the production of a completely reorganised code to
which a substantial body of new law had been added.
This process was carried out in the reign of Reccesuinth, and the
resulting code, which became known as the Liber fudiciorum (Book of
the Judges) was probably promulgated in 654. It consisted of twelve
books, divided as to subject-matter. It was further refined by the
division of the books into subsections called 'titles', into which the
individual laws were grouped and classified. This system was retained
in the subsequent revision by King Ervig in 68l. It has been suggested
that the choice of dividing the code into twelve books was intended
deliberately to reflect the founding collection of Roman legal tradi-
tion, the Laws of the Twelve Tables. However, the precedent of
Justinian's code of 534, the similarly divided Corpus funs Civilis, may
have been a weightier one.^56 Although Reccesuinth's version of the
Liber fudiciorum is the earliest form in which we now have it, it has
been questioned whether or not a prototype of the code was issued
in the reign of his father Chindasuinth.^57 However, the evidence in
favour of such a view is not strong, especially when the mistaken belief
that the Visigoths and the Romans had previously existed under
entirely separate rules of law is abandoned. It is clear enough from
the code itself though that Chindasuinth was a substantial legislator,
and ninety-nine of his laws are included in his son's great compilation.
A few manuscripts have survived, one possibly contemporary
with the initial promulgation, of Reccesuinth's version of the Liber
fudiciorum, but within thirty years it was replaced by the expanded
edition undertaken for Ervig.^58 To this in turn were added new laws
of his successors Egica (687-702) and Wittiza (692/4-710). Although
this did not lead to a third official codification Egica made clear his
intention of revising his predecessor's work, and manuscripts of Ervig's
version and of that version with Egica's additions do not exist as two
distinct classes.
The significance of the Liber fudiciorum for the society ofVisigo.thic
Spain has generally been assessed in the light of its specific prohibi-
tion of the continued use of any codes of law other than itself. For
those who believe that the Goths and the Romans had hitherto