Instituta Cnuti
Encyclopedia
The title Instituta Cnuti, in full Instituta Cnuti aliorumque regum Anglorum ("Institutes of Cnut and other kings of the English"), refers to a legal compilation which cites, in Latin translation, selected material of Old English law. It was put together by an Anglo-Norman cleric, possibly at Worcester, sometime after the Conquest, between 1066 and 1123-4. The text is preserved in the Textus Roffensis
and six later manuscripts dating from the 12th and early 13th century.
The work consists of three sections. The first two contain passages from Cnut's two law-codes (I Cnut and II Cnut), occasionally with amendments by the compiler to suit contemporary circumstances. The last section has material excerpted from the laws of Ine
, Alfred
and Edgar (II Edgar) as well as unofficial legal tracts associated with Wulfstan, Archbishop of York, like Geþyncðu. The selection shows that the translator took particular interest in (secular) Danelaw.
The standard edition is still that of Felix Liebermann
in his monumental Gesetze der Angelsachsen. More recently, Bruce O'Brien has criticised Liebermann's work and illustrated the need for a new critical edition.
The Institute may be compared to the Consiliatio Cnuti, which offers a near complete Latin translation of Cnut's legislation.
Textus Roffensis
The Textus Roffensis, or in full, Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum , refers to a manuscript in which two originally separate manuscripts written about the same time, between 1122 and 1124, are bound together...
and six later manuscripts dating from the 12th and early 13th century.
The work consists of three sections. The first two contain passages from Cnut's two law-codes (I Cnut and II Cnut), occasionally with amendments by the compiler to suit contemporary circumstances. The last section has material excerpted from the laws of Ine
Ine of Wessex
Ine was King of Wessex from 688 to 726. He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla, who had brought much of southern England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially...
, Alfred
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
and Edgar (II Edgar) as well as unofficial legal tracts associated with Wulfstan, Archbishop of York, like Geþyncðu. The selection shows that the translator took particular interest in (secular) Danelaw.
The standard edition is still that of Felix Liebermann
Felix Liebermann
Felix Liebermann was a Jewish German historian, who is celebrated for his scholarly contributions to the study of medieval English history, particularly that of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman law. Born in 1851, Berlin, he came from a Jewish-German family and was the younger brother of the painter...
in his monumental Gesetze der Angelsachsen. More recently, Bruce O'Brien has criticised Liebermann's work and illustrated the need for a new critical edition.
The Institute may be compared to the Consiliatio Cnuti, which offers a near complete Latin translation of Cnut's legislation.
Further reading
- Instituta Cnuti (aliorumque regum Anglorum), ed. Felix LiebermannFelix LiebermannFelix Liebermann was a Jewish German historian, who is celebrated for his scholarly contributions to the study of medieval English history, particularly that of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman law. Born in 1851, Berlin, he came from a Jewish-German family and was the younger brother of the painter...
, Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen. vol 1. pp. 612-7. - Liebermann, Felix. "On the Instituta Cnuti aliorumque regum Anglorum." Transactions of the Royal Historical Society NS 7 (1893): pp. 77-107.
- O'Brien, Bruce. "The Instituta Cnuti and the translation of English law." Anglo-Norman Studies 25 (2003). 177-197.