The Making of Gratian's Decretum

by Anders Winroth

This book offers new perspectives on the legal and intellectual developments of the twelfth century. Gratian's collection of church law, the Decretum, was a key text in these developments and remained a fundamental work throughout and beyond the Middle Ages. Until now, the many mysteries surrounding the creation of the Decretum have remained unsolved. Professor Winroth has now discovered the original version of the Decretum in a version about half as long as the final text, and that invites a reconsideration of the resurgence of law in the twelfth century.

268 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 1996

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic work of medieval legal history, this book forms the starting point for all modern research on Gratian. Through a careful examination of manuscript variants, Winroth demonstrates the existence of two recensions of Gratian's Decretum: the longer version that scholars have long known and studied, and a shorter version preserved in several medieval manuscripts. Based upon key differences between the two recensions of the Decretum, Winroth argues that the rediscovery of Roman law in Italy occurred much more gradually than modern historians have supposed.

The book is written in clear and lucid prose. Nevertheless, the uninitiated will probably still be unable to understand the core chapters of the book (2 and 3), as these are highly technical. Even non-experts, however, can appreciate Winroth's final chapters on the reappraisal of legal studies in Bologna.