Urban privileges ('keuren') in medieval Flanders

Between 1163 and 1240 urban privileges in the county of Flanders often lack the formal characteristics typical of medieval charters. They consist solely of a list of legal articles preceded by a general heading. In Flanders, such formless law texts are traditionally known as 'keuren'. The most famous of these documents is the so-called 'Grote Keure' by which Count Philip of Alsace imposed a uniform criminal law on the major towns in his realm between 1165 and 1175. In this paper, I argue that these formless law texts are dynamic legal documents that could be updated whenever this was necessary... Mehr ...