Bohemian Land Law

The Bohemian Land Law (Czech. Zemský soud český ) originated in the 13th century and was the highest court in the Kingdom of Bohemia from the middle of the 15th century until 1621 . It was responsible for all civil and criminal disputes of the Bohemian nobility. The lords and knights had the privilege not to have to answer before any royal court. The judges at the regional court also belonged to the Bohemian nobility.

The jurisprudence followed the old Czech customary law, was also based on the documented privileges of the nobility and in the 16th century followed the principles of the Vladislav regional order . At the same time, however, the Roman law taught at European universities increasingly influenced the decision-making process.

Judgments of the court were recorded in the land boards. The offices of the land law were in the Prague Castle near the Vladislav Hall. They can be viewed today.

Land law existed under changed constitutional framework conditions even after the suppression of the Bohemian Confederation (1621) into the 19th century, when modern civil law was then introduced throughout the Habsburg monarchy.

literature

• Otto Peterka : Legal history of the Bohemian countries presented in its main features. 2 vols. Reichenberg 1928–1933.
• Viktorin Kornel ze Všehrd : O práviech, súdiech i dskách země České knihy. 1499. Various reprints a. a. Prague 1841.