Medieval Moldovan Law between custom and written law codes [Articol]

Abstract

The Romanian Principalities were formed during the late Middle Ages. The emergence of these new states could not occur outside a legal framework. The existence of multiple international legal systems naturally required the implementation of a domestic legal system that would ensure the proper functioning of the state’s institutions. From the very beginning, both Moldavia and Wallachia relied on customary law, otherwise known internally as the “law of the land,” while in neighboring regions, Romanian communities used the same customary legal system, referred to there as Jus Valachicum. At the same time, some written law codes circulated in the Romanian Principalities, copied and preserved in local monasteries. Over time, the influence of these codes, together with the need to unify the legal system, led to the gradual adoption of written laws, with customary and written law coexisting and being applied in parallel for a period.