‘Medieval History Is Now More and More Interesting to Study’ −Interview with Professor Robert Swanson, University of Birmingham

Robert Swanson & JIANG Qizhou

The Standing Army of the Dutch Republic

XU Erbin

In revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule, the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands established a standing army in the early 17th century. This army was the first to use the tactic of volley fire in Europe and became a model for European countries to follow. With a considerable, tactically advanced and strict disciplined standing army, the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands successfully broke free from the rule of the Habsburg dynasty and develop into a significant European power on the international stage. Unlike France, Brandenburg-Prussia, Sweden and other countries, the Netherlands did not form an absolutist and centralized political system in the process of developing its standing army, but retained a republican system and a constitutional system with a high degree of provincial autonomy.

Exploring the Characteristics and Mechanism of European Civilization of Rule of Law: The Theoretical Contribution of Judicial System and Rule of Law in the Process of European Civilization

LIU Jitao

The characteristics of European civilization of rule of law have always been a complex and difficult to answer question. Judicial System and Rule of Law in the Process of European Civilization systematically explored the evolution of European judiciary and rule of law from ancient Greece to the present from the perspective of Chinese scholars, and revealed its law of development and internal logic through various methods such as historical analysis and comparison. The viewpoints proposed in the book, such as ‘the judiciary is the father of law’, ‘the dual character of national legal system’, ‘Europe is a pioneer of advanced judicial practices’, ‘the leading position of European judicial civilization stems from the guidance of justice values’ and ‘the positive interaction between culture and institutions’ are all innovative and helpful in promoting the construction of the rule of law in the future.

Land Ownership and Transactions in French Customary Law Homologation

DONG Ziyun

In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the homologation of French customary law established the legal framework of land ownership and land transactions. The process of homologation, instead of being simple transcription and compilation, was essentially a reconstruction of regional and local 126 customs. Under the guidance of royal judicial officials, after games and compromises among the three local estates, the homologation movement tended to introduce series of clauses in favor of landholders and their freedom of trade in land, but at the same time protected of the interests of lords and clans. In the context of demographic and economic recovery in France after the Hundred Years’ War, the institution of land ownership and transactions established by the homologation of customary law met the demand of the French economy and society of the time, but may have, in the long run, curtailed the takeoff of French agricultural economy in the modern period.

European Feudalism: The Origin of Western Civilization

ZHANG Ying

The concept of consent was one of the meta-principles that established European civilization, and feudalism was the breeding ground for its early development. The interaction between lords and vassals embodied elements of individual consent, reflected in the ability of both parties to agree to establish a relationship or, under certain conditions, to dissent and terminate it. Notably, vassals, despite their lower status, also possessed certain rights of consent. This model shaped the fundamental framework of original European society and laid the foundation for the growth of European civilization. Despite the complexities of feudal relationships and the disparities between legal norms and historical realities, the concept of consent emerged as a crucial principle for handling these relationships, which continued to develop in political and social life, and evolved into one of the core elements of European civilization.

Monastic Libraries and Historical Writing in Twelfth-Century England: A Perspective from William of Malmesbury

LIU Ming

In the early twelfth century, monastic libraries across England experienced unprecedented growth, becoming platforms for the production of historical knowledge and hubs of its dissemination. As the librarian of Malmesbury Abbey, William not only organized and expanded the abbey’s collections, but also engaged in in-depth historical research, turning the library into a center for the production and dissemination of historical knowledge. Representing a broader group of monastic historians, William and his contemporaries took advantage of the expansion of libraries to establish a network for the transmission of historical knowledge, with libraries serving as key nodes. This development played a crucial role in advancing the historiographical development in England. This phenomenon sheds light on the modes of production and dissemination of historical knowledge in twelfth-century England and reflects the profound influence exerted by monasteries on social culture.

The Japanese Government’s Guidance on the Development of Poultry Industry in the 1920s and 1930s

YANG Zhenzi & ZHU Ying

Japanese did not have the tradition of eating eggs. Since the Meiji era, with the strong promotion of the government and men of insight, the demand for eggs in Japan was steadily on the increase. However, farmers’ sideline of raising chickens could not meet the market demand, so a large quantities of Chinese eggs imported by Japan. The Japanese government started to stop the outflow of capital by raising tariffs, then realized that the development of the domestic poultry industry would cure the problem. Consequently, the government of Japan continued to formulate policies to encourage and help private individuals to improve chicken breed and egg-laying techniques, and to prevent the spread of chicken diseases by means of the rule of law and administrative measures; without changing the ownership of productive means or individual production methods, it guided farmers to join poultry industry cooperatives, directly connecting production with the market, and achieving intensive management of the poultry industry, not only met market demand but also increased farmers’ income. The role and contribution of the Japanese government in the development of the poultry industry is an excellent perspective for observing the economic takeoff of modern Japan.

Jeremy Bentham: The Thinking Mentor of English Legal Reform in the 19th Century

LI Cheng

At the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, the Jurist Jeremy Bentham published many treatises criticizing common law and advocating for the codification of laws by Parliament, and became the pioneering voice of the British law reform. Building upon the foundations of natural science in the 18th century, Bentham proposed a jurisprudence based on utilitarianism to establish the theoretical independence of parliamentary law from common law. Against the skepticism and resistance, Bentham offered in-depth criticism against common law, and founded The Westminster Review to argue for the necessity and urgency of law reform, and attracted many followers. Elevating parliamentary law met the demands of new political and economic relationships in an Industrializing Society. The debates between Bentham and his opponents also reflected the intellectual conflicts during this transforming age.

The Official Land of the Ministry of Works for Levying Tung Oil and Jute（工部油麻官地）and Tenant Lands of Artisan Households in Nanjing in the Ming Dynasty

ZHANG Ye

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Longjiang Shipyard was established in the northwest outside Nanjing city. More than 400 artisan households from other places were summoned to build ships, under the jurisdiction of the Tijusi（提举司）. They were assign to the rank of ‘xiang-jia’（厢甲）according to their job types. In the mid Ming Dynasty, with the reduction of shipbuilding tasks and the sale of accumulated timber, the land of the Longjiang Shipyard became idle and sparked competition. The Nanjing Ministry of Works maintained its official land nature by calling for tenants to cultivate and levying tung oil and jute, forming a unique land name of ‘the official land for levying of tung oil and jute’. Due to the gradual separation of the artisan households in the shipyard from the shipbuilding profession, and the hire of others to perform corvee labor, some artisan households made their living by renting the official land. During the Jiajing period, the Nanjing Ministry of Works repeatedly explored the official land and expanded the land area. This not only checked the rich and powerful that illegally occupied the official land and ensured the rights of artisan households to cultivate, but also increased land tax revenue and reduced government expenses on shipbuilding. Most of the artisan households, military households, gentries and wealthy households and other groups in Nanjing City had immigrant backgrounds. They jointly participated in the reclamation of the official land in the western part of the city and used their identities or political privileges to seek benefits, which deeply reflected the social characteristics of Nanjing City, whether it was the national capital nor the old capital during the Ming Dynasty.