The Salic Law and English Law-Codes

This chapter presents the Salic Law/Pactus Legis Salicae as the old Germanic law, which has become the most famous of the so-called barbarian leges. Special attention is paid to the determination of the date of the origin of Lex Salica, peculiarities of Clovis’ epoch, recording of the unwritten laws with the assistance of the Gallo-Roman jurists, and revision (not substantially) of Lex Salica by Frankish King Charlemagne. The second part of the chapter discusses the Franks’ code in connection with British law and the possible impact of Lex Salica on the development of the latter. Special attention is paid to the British law textbooks and treatise (Leges Henrici Primi, Quadripartitus). The results of the research reveal that Lex Salica could be available in Britain before the tenth century. Moreover, there was an evident inter-influence of the Frankish and British legal systems.