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These are the lecture notes of Fundamentals of Law. Key important points are: Roman Law, Applying the Law, Roman Empire, Development of Modern Law, Western Europe, Legal System, Basis of Law, Western Europe, Justinian Code, French Revolution
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The Roman Empire dominated much of Europe for many centuries, and Roman law greatly influenced the development of modern law in Western Europe. Roman Law (Applying The Law, Gibson, p. 12)
Roman law, the legal system that began in early Rome, became the basis of law for Western Europe, except England. As the Roman Empire grew, the number of laws increased and they became more complex. The Romans created a profession devoted to the study of legal matters. This marked the beginning of law, as we know it today, and the role of lawyers. By the year 100 C.E., the Roman Empire had spread over much of Europe, and it remained intact until the 5th century. As a result, Roman laws influenced most European countries. However, the emperor Constantine transferred the capital of the Empire to Byzantium, in what is now Turkey, in 324 C.E. Th_ Byzantine emperor Justinian (527-564 C.E.) codified 1000 years of Roman laws and produced what is known as the Justinian Code. The Code was a collection of past laws, opinions from leading Roman legal experts, and new laws enacted by Justinian. These laws emphasized equity: the idea that law should be fair and just, and that all people are equal under the law, regardless of their wealth and power. In 1804, after the French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte revised French law, which had been based on Roman law and the Justinian Code. This new set of civil laws was
became a model for many European countries. Today, it is the basis of law in many modern democratic countries. In Quebec, civil law is stiU based on the Napoleonic Code.
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