Six Centuries of Criminal Law

The first overview of the history of criminal law in the area that is currently within the territory of Belgium. Jos Monballyu treats both the sources of criminal law, the different judicial bodies that dealt with criminal issues, the general characteristics of the offences, the manifestations of the offences, the different punishments and their functions, the administration of criminal justice and, finally, some offences and their punishments in particular, namely suicide, witchcraft and press offences. All of these subjects are treated in such a manner that they can immediately be compared with the contents of similar standard works concerning the history of criminal justice in other countries.

Jos Monballyu is Professor of Legal History at the Law Faculty of the University of Leuven (Belgium). He has published several books and articles on the history of criminal law in the Southern Netherlands, Belgium and the north of France.

Translation by Line Leys