Glossators and Commentators at the Strahov Library

A groundbreaking account of the early reception of Roman law.

Private law in the Czech Republic, as in many countries, has its roots in Roman law, which reached its peak through codification by Emperor Justinian. However, modern civil codes are not directly based on Roman law source texts but rather on their later reception by medieval and modern jurists. In Glossators and Commentators at the Strahov Library, Marek Novák identifies the earliest jurists of Roman law as he sorts through the previously unorganized collection of the library of the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians at Strahov, analyzing manuscripts, incunabula, and old prints. 

With updated shelf marks and catalogue corrections, Novák has created the perfect practical guide to the Strahov Library’s legal collection for scholars of legal history and manuscript studies.

Marek Novák is assistant professor at the Faculty of Law, Charles University.