Irnerius

Irnerius

Irnerius (c. 1050 – after 1125), sometimes referred to as "lucerna juris" ("lantern of the law"), was an Italian jurist, and founder of the School of Glossators.He taught the newly recovered Roman lawcode of Justinian I, the "Corpus Juris Civilis", among the liberal arts at the University of Bologna, his native city. The recovery and revival of Roman law, taught first at Bologna in the 1070s, was a momentous event in European cultural history. Irnerius' interlinear glosses on Justinian's code, his "Summa Codicis", stands at the beginnings of a European law that was written, systematic, comprehensive and rational, and based on Roman law.

Life

He was born at Bologna about 1050.

At the instance of Countess Matilda of Tuscany he began to devote himself to the study of jurisprudence, taking the Justinian code as a guide. After teaching jurisprudence for a short while in Rome he returned to Bologna, where he founded a new school of jurisprudence in 1084 or 1088, which would rival the law school of Ravenna.

Some jurisprudence had been taught at Bologna, before Irnerius founded his school, by Pepo and a few others. He introduced the custom of explaining the Roman law by means of glosses, which originally were meagre interlinear elucidations of the text. But since the glosses were often too extensive to be inserted between the lines of the text, he began to write them on the margin of the page, thus being the first to introduce the marginal glosses which afterwards came into general use.

After the death of Pope Paschal II, he defended the rights of Emperor Henry V in the papal election and upheld the legality of the election of the imperial antipope Gregory VIII. After 1116 he appears to have held some office under the emperor

He died, perhaps during the reign of the emperor Lothair II, but certainly before 1140.

Teaching

Irnerius taught along lines firmly established in the teaching of Scripture, by reading aloud a section of the civil law, which the students would copy, and add to the text his commentary and explanatory glosses. Thus he was the first of the glossators, whose explications of the law became an essential part of the legal curriculum.

The text of Justinian's "Pandects" used in Bologna, referred to as the "Littera Bononiensis", closely parallel to the "Littera Florentina", would be disseminated throughout Europe as students returned home from Bologna: there are versions of the Bolognese "Littera" with provenances in Paris, Padua, Leipzig and at the Vatican (Purpura 2001).

Works

According to ancient opinion (which, however, has been much controverted), Irnerius was the author of the epitome of the "Novellae" of Justinian, called the "Authentica", arranged according to the titles of the Code. His "Formularium tabellionum" (a directory for notaries) and "Quaestiones" (a book of judicial decisions) are no longer extant ("EB").

His chief work is "Summa Codicis", which is of a special historical value, because it is the first medieval system of Roman jurisprudence. It was edited with a critical introduction by Fitting, "Summa Codicis des Irnerius, mit einer Einleitung" (Berlin, 1894).

Another important work generally ascribed to Irnerius is "Quaestiones de juris subtilitatibus". It was also edited by Fitting, "Quaestiones de juris subtilitatibus des Irnerius, mit einer Einleitung" (Festschrift zum 200jährigern Jubiläum der Universitat Halle-Wittenberg, 1894).

Other juridical works and glosses that are ascribed to Irnerius are extant only in fragments, or their authorship is uncertain.

Reputation

Irnerius was largely forgotten; his name was revived by German historians of the later 19th century. His name is also seen in manuscripts as Hirnerius, Hyrnerius, Iernerius, Gernerius, Garnerius, Guarnerius, Warnerius, Wernerius, Yrnerius. He called himself Wernerius when he signed documents.

Anders Winroth questioned much of the received account for Irnerius' life and questioned his importance for the history of Roman law in the Middle Ages.

References

* Friedrich Carl von Savigny, "Geschichte des Römischen Rechts im Mittelalter" (2nd. ed., Heidelberg, 1834-1851) iii. 83
* Del Vecchio, "Notizie di Irnerio e della sua scuola" (Pisa, 1869)
* Julius von Ficker, "Forsch. z. Reichs- u. Rechtsgesch. Italiens", vol. iii. (Innsbruck, 1870)
* Herman Fitting, "Die Anfange der Rechtsschule in Bologna" (Berlin, 1888).
* Anders Winroth, "The Making of Gratian's Decretum" (Cambridge, 2000)

ources

*Catholic
*1911
*"Nouveau Larousse illustré" (in French) undated, early 20th century

External links

* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08168a.htm "Catholic Encyclopedia":] Irnerius
* [http://www.archaeogate.org/iura/article/199/1/la-littera-florentina-di-gianfranco-purpura.html Archaeogate: Gianfranco Purpura, "La Littera Florentina", 2001] (in Italian)


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  • Irnerius — von Bologna (* um 1050; † um 1130) war Begründer der berühmten Glossatorenschule in Bologna, die einen wesentlichen Teil zur Bewahrung römischer Rechtstexte und insbesondere zur wissenschaftlichen Bearbeitung des römischen Rechts beitrug.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Irnerius — • An Italian jurist and founder of the School of Glossators, b. at Bologna about 1050; d. there about 1130 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Irnerius     Irnerius      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • IRNERIUS — (1050 env. env. 1130) Juriste bolonais du début du XIIe siècle, Irnerius est également connu sous les noms de Guarnerius et de Wernerius. On sait peu de chose de sa vie. Son nom figure dans des documents qui s’échelonnent entre 1112 et 1125. Il… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Irnerius — (Bologne v. 1050 Bologne, av. 1130) fut un jurisconsulte et un universitaire italien de la fin du XIe et du début du XIIe siècle. Biographie Cette section est vide, insuffisamment détaillée ou incomplète. Votre aide est la bienvenue !… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Irnerĭus — Irnerĭus, ein Deutscher, lehrte zu Ravenna u. Bologna die freien Künste, seit 1128 das Römische Recht in Bologna. Er war der erste Glossator u. hatte deshalb den Beinamen Lucerna juris. Bei der Gräfin Mathilde stand er in großem Ansehen u. war… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Irnerĭus — (auch Yrnerius, Hirnerius, Hyrnerius, Warnerius, Wernerius, Guarnerius, Gernerius), ein ausgezeichneter Jurist des 11. und 12. Jahrh., ward in Bologna nach 1050 geboren und ist daselbst wohl spätestens 1130 gestorben. I. war schon in jungen… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Irnerius — Irnerius,   Rechtsgeschichte: Glosse …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Irnerius — ▪ Italian legal scholar also spelled  Guarnerius  or  Warnerius  born c. 1050, Bologna [Italy] died in or after 1125, Bologna       one of the scholars who revived Roman legal studies in Italy and the first of a long series of noted legal… …   Universalium

  • Irnerius von Bologna — (* um 1050; † um 1130) war Begründer der berühmten Glossatorenschule in Bologna, die einen wesentlichen Teil zur Bewahrung römischer Rechtstexte und insbesondere zur wissenschaftlichen Bearbeitung des römischen Rechts beitrug. Inhaltsverzeichnis… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • IRNERIUS Germ — primus Bononiae ius docuit, post Iustiniani tempora, Glossasqueve in illud scripsit. Auctor Lothario. ut libros Iur. Civ. publice exponi curaret, quod factum, A. C. 1150. Obiit bononiae A. C. 1190. Al. Wernerus …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

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