Punishment for violent crimes: aggression and violence in the early Germanic law codes

Abstract

Germanic law codes, which are also known as leges barbarorum, date to between the 5th and 11th centuries. The leges were highly influenced by external legislative regulations and can be basically defined as a combination of Roman law, Germanic tribal laws and canon law. This thesis attempts to examine punishment for aggression and violent crimes in the early Germanic law codes. Violent crimes against another person such as murder, homicide, bodily harm, injury, abduction and rape in the leges barbarorum are analysed in a historical context and punishments for such felonies are investigated in a detailed manner. Specifically, certain issues became apparent due to various social, ethnic and sexual backgrounds of the barbarian people who were subjected to the leges barbarorum. Such matters are discussed in detail by going through each and every article that deals with the punishments for violent crimes. The other purpose of the thesis is to perceive the transformation and adaptation of the Germanic peoples to the new legal systems and to conceive the legal transition process of these newly established political entities using violent crimes base. Main discourse of the research project consists of different kind of studies and investigations as it comes into existence under the distinctive topics. In other words, primary goal of the project is not only to understand the compensation for aggression and violence in the barbarian leges, but also to analyse the differences between the leges barbarorum of the early Germanic societies in the cases of violent crimes and punishment.