German Law in Medieval Galician Rus' (Rotreussen)

Abstract

This article focuses on the ius theutonicum Magdeburgense, its meaning and functions, attempting to understand what ius theutonicum meant for contemporaries. It starts with the present interpretation of the term. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the available medieval privileges for Magdeburg law issued for towns in Galician Rus’. The result was not an identification or »reconstruction« of a particular »law« or combination of different »laws« adopted in town courts of Galician Rus’ under the term ius theutonicum. It was rather the recognition that the notion called ius theutonicum in medieval documents was an adaptable pattern applicable to different conditions, a model with many variants or a general set of principles which was filled with real content and adapted to concrete circumstances.