Social Control and the Uses of Justice in Leiden, 1500–1800

What is it about?

This article examines the ways in which ordinary people in early modern Leiden regulated norms and values and how they made use of the law. It is striking how many ways there were to correct behavior or seek justice. This ‘legal pluralism’ characterized all early modern cities, but in Leiden the range of options was relatively large.

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Photo by Europeana on Unsplash

Photo by Europeana on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Little is still known about the use of law in the early modern period. This article provides a good overview of this in an early modern city and also shows that it was primarily the upper-middle groups who were able to make the most use of it