The author tackles the matter of the legal foundations of three salient aspects of late medieval criminal procedure: the procedure per inquisitionem, which was based on the judge's initiative; the repression of heresy, the gravity of which was elevated by the Church to a crimen laesae maiestatis; finally, the practice of torture, which was common to both secular and anti-heretical procedure. As for the latter, the author provides an in-depth analysis by commenting the points of view of the jurists Bartolus de Saxoferrato (1313/14-1357/58) and Baldus de Ubaldis (1327-1400) by analysing, respectively, the commentaries on the corpus iuris civilis and two consilia. Special attention is given to the second consilium where Baldus provides a report of the torture inflicted in 1387 to the Queen of Aragon. By doing this, the author shows how there was a gap between the judicial practice, including a fairly common application of torture, and the ‘guarantism’ involved by the doctrine.
L’autore ricostruisce i fondamenti normativi di tre aspetti salienti della procedura criminale tardo-medievale: la procedura per inquisitionem, incentrata sull’iniziativa del giudice; la repressione dell’eresia, che la Chiesa elevò a reato di lesa maestà divina; la pratica della tortura, comune sia alla procedura secolare che a quella anti-ereticale. L’autore analizza inoltre le opinioni in materia di tortura espresse da Bartolo da Sassoferrato (1313/14-1357/58) nei suoi commentari al corpus iuris civilis e due consilia di Baldo degli Ubaldi (1327-1400), il secondo dei quali relativo alla tortura subita nel 1387 dalla regina di Aragona. Il pensiero in materia di tortura di due dei più importanti giuristi europei del XIV secolo testimonia eloquentemente il divario tra l’arbitrio della pratica giudiziaria e il relativo garantismo della dottrina.
Inquisizione, eresia, tortura: norme, pratiche e dottrine del processo penale medievale
Ferdinando Treggiari
2021
Abstract
The author tackles the matter of the legal foundations of three salient aspects of late medieval criminal procedure: the procedure per inquisitionem, which was based on the judge's initiative; the repression of heresy, the gravity of which was elevated by the Church to a crimen laesae maiestatis; finally, the practice of torture, which was common to both secular and anti-heretical procedure. As for the latter, the author provides an in-depth analysis by commenting the points of view of the jurists Bartolus de Saxoferrato (1313/14-1357/58) and Baldus de Ubaldis (1327-1400) by analysing, respectively, the commentaries on the corpus iuris civilis and two consilia. Special attention is given to the second consilium where Baldus provides a report of the torture inflicted in 1387 to the Queen of Aragon. By doing this, the author shows how there was a gap between the judicial practice, including a fairly common application of torture, and the ‘guarantism’ involved by the doctrine.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
