Schriftenreihe des Deutschen Rechtswörterbuchs / Stadtrechte und Stadtrecht

With the "Newen Reformacion" of the Imperial City of Nuremberg (1479), the era of municipal law reforms begins, extending into the 17th century. These modernized municipal laws, which resemble precursors to today's codifications, were used by the self-assured magistrates to demonstrate their independence, taking advantage of the flourishing printing industry. Shaped by jurists trained in Roman law, the municipal law reforms are more systematic than their predecessors. However, they often contain less Roman law than one might expect.

This volume portrays this type of source and provides - for the first time in this form - criteria for its delineation. To gain a clear picture, especially in contrast to older law, individual medieval municipal laws are first presented following introductory contributions. This is followed by descriptions of important municipal law reforms and examples of failed reforms, also looking beyond the German-speaking world.