-
King Hammurabi of Babylon (now Iraq) had come up with nearly 300 laws, then had them carved into stone (called steles). The Code of Hammurabi was famous for "eye for an eye". Hammurabi Code 196 - "If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out". Hammurabi's code and our current legal system both intended to maintain order in society, also both "systems" used prescribed punishments. (If you do x, then y is your punishment). Both systems have codified set of laws. . -
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I took what were messy, Roman laws and organized them to make them accessible to all. 10 men went over 1600 books of Roman law to create a simpler legal code. Over 4000 laws were recorded in 4 books. 1. Codex Constitution 2. Digesta or Pandectae 3. Institutiones 4. Novellae Constitutiones Post Codicem. The Code of Justinian was considered the basics of law. The code emphasized equality under the law. Many codes reflected his wife Theodora. -
The King would establish a team of judges to travel the country settling court cases. This emerged in England during the middle ages. The judges would rely on precedents to help make decisions, this is called case law. Case law is used in Common law. In today's court rooms, common law is still used. Common law evolved into a system of rules based on precedent. This rule guides judges in making later decisions. -
Kings (King John) used to do whatever they wanted. The Kings were unaffected by the law. King John was forced to sign the document (magna carta) by the English nobility. The Magna Carta introduced the rule of law in England. Everyone had to follow the law, the King was no longer allowed to abuse or take his subjects' rights away without suffering the consequences. This document introduced the idea of Habeas Corpus, which entitled people accused of a crime, a trial in quick time. -
The Iroquois Confederacy consisted of 5 nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida and the Seneca. The laws were not recorded and transmitted in written language, but by wampum symbols that conveyed meaning. The laws called a constitution were divided into 117 articles. The Iroquois nation was symbolized by the Eastern pine tree (tree of peace). Law written on wampum belts were concieved by great peacemaker Dekanawidah and his spokesman Hikawatha. -
Also known as French Civil Code. This code was a revised set of civil law for the French People. Napoleon conquered most of Europe. The Napoleonic code influenced Civil law systems of modern continental European and Latin American countries. example: the authority of men over their families stronger, deprived women of any individual rights.