Legal Education in Byzantium in the 6th to the 15th Century

Abstract

In the absence of specialized education for representatives of different professions in Byzantium, legal education was an exception. As early as the 3rd century a law school was opened in Beirut, then in Constantinople (425) and in other cities. Emperor Justinian included “Institutions” in the Corpus Juris Civilis specifically for young people studying law. In the VI–VIII centuries, the professional training of lawyers continued, but there was a crisis in it. Constantine IX Monomakh published a novel about the creation of a law school headed by nomophilax in the middle of the XI century. But it did not last long, and up to the middle of the 15th century lawyers were engaged in independent study of law (αυτοδιδασκαλια), resorting to the help of practicing lawyers. The services of lawyerstabularies were used by the whole population, lawyers became officials, judges, participated in the preparation of laws and their codification. The high level of legal consciousness of the Byzantines led to a growing interest in legal education.