The Spiritual Jurisdiction in Reformation Scotland: A Legal History

Description

Re-evalutes the medieval Church in Reformation Scotland from the perspective of legal historyOffers a substantial re-interpretation of several major elements of the Scottish Reformation Includes the Wars of the Congregation; the Reformation Parliament; the legitimacy of the Scottish government from 1559 to 1561; the courts of the early Church of Scotland; and the legal significance of Mary Stewart’s personal reign Considers neglected aspects of the Reformation, including the roles of the Court of Session and of the Court of the Commissaries of EdinburghRe-evaluates the actual impact in law of key events in the history of the Scottish ReformationStudies jurisdiction in matrimonial disputes during a period of revolutionThis book examines the Scottish Reformation from a new perspective – that of the legal system and lawyers. For the leading lawyers of the day, the Scottish Reformation presented a constitutional and jurisdictional crisis of the first order. In the face of such a challenge moderate judges, lawyers and officers of state sought to restore order in a time of revolution by retaining much of the medieval legacy of Catholic law and order in Scotland.