Le Miroir des Saxons : un texte remarquable, mais presque inconnu dans l’historiographie française

Abstract

The ‘Saxon Mirror’ was one of the most important books of medieval law, but literature on it in other Western European languages than German, remains scarce. This article therefore wants to present the Saxon Mirror to French readers by studying its author Eike von Repgow and its content, characteristics and influence. The author also puts forward his own hypotheses concerning the Saxon Mirror. The Saxon Mirror has to be studied together with other texts which used the same material, more in particular the Auctor vetus de beneficiis, and the law book of Görlitz. Making a comparison with texts of feudal law elsewhere, it becomes clear that the Saxon Mirror was based on notes taken by practitioners, which could be compilated in different ways. The differences between the longer and the shorter versions of the Saxon Mirror may be explained by the groups behind them. Specialists of feudal law were responsible for the shorter version, whereas the longer version was the work of aldermen. In this context, it is not unlikely that Eike von Repgow may have been a pleader in feudal courts rather than an alderman.