The Spiritual Jurisdiction in Reformation Scotland

A legal history of the jurisdiction of the medieval Church in Reformation Scotland This book examines the Scottish Reformation from a new perspective - that of the legal system and lawyers. For the leading lawyers of the day, the Scottish Reformation presented a constitutional and jurisdictional crisis of the first order. In the face of such a challenge moderate judges, lawyers and officers of state sought to restore order in a time of revolution by retaining much of the medieval legacy of Catholic law and order in Scotland. Key Features ● Provides the first full-length legal history of the Scottish Reformation ● Offers a substantial re-interpretation of several major elements of the Scottish Reformation ● Includes the Wars of the Congregation; the Reformation Parliament; the legitimacy of the Scottish government from 1559 to 1561; the courts of the early Church of Scotland; and the legal significance of Mary Stewart's personal reign ● Considers neglected aspects of the Reformation, including the roles of the Court of Session and of the Court of the Commissaries of Edinburgh ● Re-evaluates the actual impact in law of key events in the history of the Scottish Reformation ● Studies jurisdiction in matrimonial disputes during a period of revolution Thomas M. Green is a former recipient of The Stair Society's doctoral scholarship and of a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship. He is an ecclesiastical and legal historian with interests in Reformation Studies and the history of Canon law. Cover image: National Records of Scotland, CC8/2/1, Register of Acts and Decreets, Edinburgh Commissary Court, 29 Apr 1564-14 Apr 1565, folio 2 recto Cover design: Zillah T. Green and Stuart Dalziel [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-0-7486-9998-8 Barcode