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Papers by Edgar Rops
Ausonius Éditions eBooks, 2019
Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval ... more Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval and modern Europe (8th-10th February 2017) at the Archeopole of Aquitaine (Université de Bordeaux Montaigne, Bordeaux, France). One of the most famous – and popular – exhibits in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation in Latvia is the sword of the executioner of Riga. On display, it is accompanied by a mummified hand of a criminal and the contemporary account, where the executioner lists the fees due for his various services. The objects would have hardly ever appeared together in their original context, as they represent different aspects of medieval justice, its public and private appearances. However, the combination offers a certain perception of medieval justice for the twenty-first century viewer, building on modern representations of the Middle Ages on the one hand and on modern experiences of justice and execution. In the present paper, we will approach the issue of the archaeology of justice through associated objects, concentrating on the sword used by Riga executioner in the sixteenth century. We study the object and the display from sociological and anthropological perspectives, in order to approach medieval and modern internalised representations of justice. In particular, we compare the significance of these objects for the people seeing them in the Middle Ages and today. In the paper, we will introduce the distinction between objects that would have been invisible to the audience in the Middle Ages, documents internal to the mechanism of the justice, such as the executioner’s account. By contrast, the sword and the severed hand were object on public display, yet of unequal status. The sword, property of the city of Riga, was a highly valued object, given to the executioner for the discharge of his duties. In turn, the severed hand was an object in transition, its ownership disputed, yet emblematic of the performance of justice and, in its own right, worth preservation. Moreover, the interaction between the displayed and hidden objects sketches the relation between the experience of the viewer and the use of space in medieval justice. Keywords: executioner’s sword; sociology of justice; the sword of the Riga executioner; social anthropology; legal anthropology
La Queste del Saint Graal is without doubt one of the most significant works in European literatu... more La Queste del Saint Graal is without doubt one of the most significant works in European literature. Not only has it influenced many subsequent works, it also provides insight into the mindset of the part of the medieval populace. In this paper I will briefly analyse one of the episodes of the Queste, namely the temptation of Sir Percival on a desert island. I will then suggest several interpretations of the said episode from spiritual and temporal points of view.
“Rape is a detestable crime, according to both divine and secular law” Thomas of Chobham declared... more “Rape is a detestable crime, according to both divine and secular law” Thomas of Chobham declared in his “Summa Confesorum”, yet in Cobham’s own time the question of “raptus” – the rape - was not as straight-forward. Starting from Gratian’s “Decretum” it included two distinct acts: abduction of a girl, whether willing or not (ravishment), and intercourse with her against her will (rape). Although both acts are offences, they are not equally serious and naturally the treatment of the two had to be different, if not according to the letter of statutes, then in actual practice.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate those differences. • Consequences of the act for the rapist.
Furthermore, in the second part of the paper I will apply the same categories to medieval Welsh law (so called laws of Hywel Dda, Howell the Good) in order to compare two very distinct legal systems and make conclusions as to which of them was more favorable to the parties of the offence, paying special attention to the female party.
Conference Presentations by Edgar Rops
Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval ... more Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval and modern Europe (8th-10th February 2017) at the Archeopole of Aquitaine (Université de Bordeaux Montaigne, Bordeaux, France).
One of the most famous – and popular – exhibits in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation in Latvia is the sword of the executioner of Riga. On display, it is accompanied by a mummified hand of a criminal and the contemporary account, where the executioner lists the fees due for his various services. The objects would have hardly ever appeared together in their original context, as they represent different aspects of medieval justice, its public and private appearances. However, the combination offers a certain perception of medieval justice for the twenty-first century viewer, building on modern representations of the Middle Ages on the one hand and on modern experiences of justice and execution.
In the present paper, we will approach the issue of the archaeology of justice through associated objects, concentrating on the sword used by Riga executioner in the sixteenth century. We study the object and the display from sociological and anthropological perspectives, in order to approach medieval and modern internalised representations of justice. In particular, we compare the significance of these objects for the people seeing them in the Middle Ages and today.
In the paper, we will introduce the distinction between objects that would have been invisible to the audience in the Middle Ages, documents internal to the mechanism of the justice, such as the executioner’s account. By contrast, the sword and the severed hand were object on public display, yet of unequal status. The sword, property of the city of Riga, was a highly valued object, given to the executioner for the discharge of his duties. In turn, the severed hand was an object in transition, its ownership disputed, yet emblematic of the performance of justice and, in its own right, worth preservation. Moreover, the interaction between the displayed and hidden objects sketches the relation between the experience of the viewer and the use of space in medieval justice.
Keywords: executioner’s sword; sociology of justice; the sword of the Riga executioner; social anthropology; legal anthropology
Ausonius Éditions eBooks, 2019
Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval ... more Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval and modern Europe (8th-10th February 2017) at the Archeopole of Aquitaine (Université de Bordeaux Montaigne, Bordeaux, France). One of the most famous – and popular – exhibits in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation in Latvia is the sword of the executioner of Riga. On display, it is accompanied by a mummified hand of a criminal and the contemporary account, where the executioner lists the fees due for his various services. The objects would have hardly ever appeared together in their original context, as they represent different aspects of medieval justice, its public and private appearances. However, the combination offers a certain perception of medieval justice for the twenty-first century viewer, building on modern representations of the Middle Ages on the one hand and on modern experiences of justice and execution. In the present paper, we will approach the issue of the archaeology of justice through associated objects, concentrating on the sword used by Riga executioner in the sixteenth century. We study the object and the display from sociological and anthropological perspectives, in order to approach medieval and modern internalised representations of justice. In particular, we compare the significance of these objects for the people seeing them in the Middle Ages and today. In the paper, we will introduce the distinction between objects that would have been invisible to the audience in the Middle Ages, documents internal to the mechanism of the justice, such as the executioner’s account. By contrast, the sword and the severed hand were object on public display, yet of unequal status. The sword, property of the city of Riga, was a highly valued object, given to the executioner for the discharge of his duties. In turn, the severed hand was an object in transition, its ownership disputed, yet emblematic of the performance of justice and, in its own right, worth preservation. Moreover, the interaction between the displayed and hidden objects sketches the relation between the experience of the viewer and the use of space in medieval justice. Keywords: executioner’s sword; sociology of justice; the sword of the Riga executioner; social anthropology; legal anthropology
La Queste del Saint Graal is without doubt one of the most significant works in European literatu... more La Queste del Saint Graal is without doubt one of the most significant works in European literature. Not only has it influenced many subsequent works, it also provides insight into the mindset of the part of the medieval populace. In this paper I will briefly analyse one of the episodes of the Queste, namely the temptation of Sir Percival on a desert island. I will then suggest several interpretations of the said episode from spiritual and temporal points of view.
“Rape is a detestable crime, according to both divine and secular law” Thomas of Chobham declared... more “Rape is a detestable crime, according to both divine and secular law” Thomas of Chobham declared in his “Summa Confesorum”, yet in Cobham’s own time the question of “raptus” – the rape - was not as straight-forward. Starting from Gratian’s “Decretum” it included two distinct acts: abduction of a girl, whether willing or not (ravishment), and intercourse with her against her will (rape). Although both acts are offences, they are not equally serious and naturally the treatment of the two had to be different, if not according to the letter of statutes, then in actual practice.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate those differences. • Consequences of the act for the rapist.
Furthermore, in the second part of the paper I will apply the same categories to medieval Welsh law (so called laws of Hywel Dda, Howell the Good) in order to compare two very distinct legal systems and make conclusions as to which of them was more favorable to the parties of the offence, paying special attention to the female party.
Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval ... more Paper presented at the international conference Archaeological re-reading of justice in medieval and modern Europe (8th-10th February 2017) at the Archeopole of Aquitaine (Université de Bordeaux Montaigne, Bordeaux, France).
One of the most famous – and popular – exhibits in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation in Latvia is the sword of the executioner of Riga. On display, it is accompanied by a mummified hand of a criminal and the contemporary account, where the executioner lists the fees due for his various services. The objects would have hardly ever appeared together in their original context, as they represent different aspects of medieval justice, its public and private appearances. However, the combination offers a certain perception of medieval justice for the twenty-first century viewer, building on modern representations of the Middle Ages on the one hand and on modern experiences of justice and execution.
In the present paper, we will approach the issue of the archaeology of justice through associated objects, concentrating on the sword used by Riga executioner in the sixteenth century. We study the object and the display from sociological and anthropological perspectives, in order to approach medieval and modern internalised representations of justice. In particular, we compare the significance of these objects for the people seeing them in the Middle Ages and today.
In the paper, we will introduce the distinction between objects that would have been invisible to the audience in the Middle Ages, documents internal to the mechanism of the justice, such as the executioner’s account. By contrast, the sword and the severed hand were object on public display, yet of unequal status. The sword, property of the city of Riga, was a highly valued object, given to the executioner for the discharge of his duties. In turn, the severed hand was an object in transition, its ownership disputed, yet emblematic of the performance of justice and, in its own right, worth preservation. Moreover, the interaction between the displayed and hidden objects sketches the relation between the experience of the viewer and the use of space in medieval justice.
Keywords: executioner’s sword; sociology of justice; the sword of the Riga executioner; social anthropology; legal anthropology