This volume contains the proceedings of the conference 'Law and Private Life in the Middle Ages' held on 29 April - 1 May 2009 at the Carlsberg Academy in Copenhagen. An international group of scholars present their work on a wide range of aspects of the impact of law upon the private life of individuals and communities in medieval societies. Offering a collection of essays that combine the approaches of several historical disciplines within the frame of legal history, the anthology covers a multitude of topics ranging from sexuality, gender, identity formation, marriage, age groups, and domestic violence, to categories of citizens in urban communities, the practice of law courts, and the place of the laity within canon law. Students and scholars of European legal culture, medieval cultural, social, and economic history, and of the history of European societies in general, should find this collection of essays a valuable contribution to the continuing discussion about law and the social order, legal practice versus ideology, and the distinction between public and private spheres in pre-modern societies.

Contributions by: Mario Ascheri, Bjorn Bandlien, Chiara Benati, Bruce C. Brasington, Hendrik Callewier, Helge Dedek, Harry Dondorp