Leis Willelme (Leis Wl)
This earliest of all legal treatises composed in French exists in two versions, one short and the other long. It claims to be Edward the Confessor’s laws as confirmed by William I; it is, however, an imposture, an unofficial description of the law composed in the time of Henry I (1100–1135) or Stephen (1135–54). The short form of the treatise covers issues of church peace, royal peace, regional customs, crime, jurisdiction, administration of justice, and penalties. The long version adds 24 chapters which are translations of chapters in Cnut’s Winchester code (c.1020/1).
It was translated into Latin in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century; see Leges Willelmi .
Contents
Print editions
- Felix Liebermann, ed., Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, 3 vols (Halle, 1903–1916), vol. 1, pp. 492–520.
Manuscripts
- Hk: London, British Library, MS Additional 49366, fos. 141r-144v
description & facsimiles