Lawbook of the City of Herford

The Lawbook is based in part on the famous Sachsenspiegel by Eike von Repgow
Created ca. 1375, it is the most precious item stored in the city archives of Herford, Germany
Decorative initials and two colorful full-page miniatures in the Gothic style adorn the important text

Lawbook of the City of Herford

Msc. 1 Kommunalarchiv Herford (Herford, Germany)

Description

Lawbook of the City of Herford

The Lawbook of the City of Herford is the most precious item stored in the city archives of Herford, Germany (not to be confused with Hereford, England) today. Written ca. 1375, it is based in part on the Sachsenspiegel by Eike von Repgow and various court cases from the city are listed in the last pages of the codex. The document is significant for both the legal and cultural history of the area. Written in Middle Low German, it summarizes the rights and duties of the citizens on 27 sheets of parchment and was created for the purpose of empowering the citizens of Herford by providing them with legal securities and guidelines for their behavior. The beautiful adornment of the manuscript with decorative initials and two colorful full-page miniatures in the Gothic style attests to the prosperity and self-confidence of the community of Herford.

Lawbook of the City of Herford

The Herford Lawbook is written is in Middle Low German, the language of the Hanseatic League, and is considered to be one of the most important examples of a medieval German lawbook. Aside from listing the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of the citizens of Herford, it also lists the various guilds and feudal corporations that existed in the city by the time of its writing ca. 1375. They attest to the importance of commercial activity in the city, especially the production of cloth. The **two full-page miniatures* featured at the beginning of the manuscript were not originally part of the manuscript and were subsequently bound to the front of the codex.

The History of Hereford

Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia situated between the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest, site of the famous battle in AD 9 that resulted in the defeat and annihilation of the Roman legions under the general Varus. It was first founded ca. 789 by Charlemagne as a fortified town guarding a ford in the Werre River and in 800 Herford Abbey, the oldest women’s convent in Saxony, was moved there. Herford grew into a market town in the following centuries, one of the oldest in Germany, that was guarded by a wall with five gates and 14 towers that was surrounded by the Werre River, its tributary the Aa, and a moat, making it also one of the best fortified cities in Germany. Herford was admitted to the Hanseatic League in 1342 and remained an active member-city until the 17th century.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Rechtsbuch der Stadt Herford
Rechtsbuch der Stadt Herford: vollständige Faksimile-Ausgabe im Original-Format der illuminierten Handschrift aus dem 14. Jahrhundert
Type: Manuscript on parchment
Size / Format: 54 pages / 35.5 × 23.5 cm
Origin: Germany
Date: 1375
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Gothic
Genre: Chronicles / History / Law
Language: German
Illustrations: 2 full-page miniatures and decorative initials

Available facsimile editions:

Detail Picture

Lawbook of the City of Herford

Recording Court Proceedings

Surrounded by jurors debating the verdict of a trial, a court clerk records the proceedings while seated in front of the table, on which lies the court sword, a symbol of the authority to punish capitol offenses, and a reliquary, upon which oaths were sworn. The scribe wears a simple tunic and tights in comparison to the richly dressed burghers who are serving as jurors. He is believed to be the author of this manuscript – the initials “S” and “H” on his tunic identify him as Siffridus Hanteloye.

Single Page

Law Book of the City of Herford

The Elder Wise Man

This lawbook claims legitimacy from Cicero, Cato, and Aristotle and draws from their teachings on the advantages of city life and the rights and responsibilities of the community. The allegorical figure of a scholar found at the beginning of the manuscript embodies these sentiments and he is positioned as the foundation of the cityscape depicted above.

He is seated in front of a blue-and-gold checkerboard background and is dressed in a long green patterned tunic, a red cloak, and a hat. A banderole that frames him reads: “Oh, my dear citizens, be of one mind, for the citizens' harmony is the cities' best fortification”. The beautiful décor of the manuscript, including numerous decorative initials, is an expression of urban self-confidence.