Paolo Grossi
The author (born in Florence in 1933) is Professor of History of Medieval and Modern Law at the University of Florence, and a member of the Accademia dei Lincei. He has recently been appointed judge in the Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic. His most recent publications include Italian Civil Lawyers: An Historical Profile (2002), Law between Power and the Judicial System (2005), Society, Law, State: A Recovery for Law (2007), The Medieval Judicial System (2008) and First Lesson on Law (2008).

Preface x
Preliminaries xii
1 Medieval Roots 1
I. A Legal Society Under Construction: The Workshop of Legal Practice 1
II. Medieval Maturity: The Laboratory of Learning 19
2 The Foundations of the Modern Legal System 39
3 Journeys in Contemporary Law 138
Further Reading 163
Notes 169
Bibliography 178
Index 190

This book explores the development of law in Europe from itsmedieval origins to the present day, charting the transformationfrom law rooted in the Church and local community towards arecognition of the centralised, secular authority of the state.
* Shows how these changes reflect the wider political, economic,and cultural developments within European history
* Demonstrates the diversity of traditions between Europeanstates and the possibilities and limitations in the search forcommon European values and goals