|
The Old-Frisian tradition starts in the 13th Century (the oldest manuscript dates back to around 1275) and lasts until 1550. The Old-Frisian corpus, as well as more than 1,000 deeds, contains 17 manuscripts, Print traditionally being one of them. Such manuscripts contained mainly judicial texts, some going back as far as the 9th and the 10th Century. Print, as the only Old-Frisian incunabulum is usually called, is also a collection of judicial texts. Because of its contents, it is also called the Freeska Landriucht. The texts of law are often referring to mediaeval Friesland west of the Lauwers river, although some of the texts have a so-called ‘pan-Frisian’ character, also referring to the region between the Lauwers and the Weser that used to be part of Friesland (after all, even in our days the northwestern part of the German Federal Republic is called 'Ostfriesland' – i.e. “East Friesland”).
As well as many Latin comments or ‘annotations’, often referring to Roman Law, owners of the various copies have added ‘marginal notes’ in the course of the Centuries. One of these owners was Franciscus Junius, the well-known 17th Century humanist, who even added parts of another Old-Frisian manuscript, i.e. the codex Unia, of which the original was not passed down. Although more copies must have been printed at the time, only nine copies of Print survived and are currently held in West European libraries: The Hague, Utrecht, Leeuwarden (3x), Paris, Oxford (2x), London. The incunabulum was most likely printed between 1483 and 1486; thanks to watermark research (comp. Van Thienen 1999) we know for sure it was printed after 1483 and before 1488, as shown in a note in the London copy from that year.
The printer is unknown; neither do we know who commissioned the work, the so-called 'auctor intellectualis'. Possible names include Hidde van Camminga, Hildebrandus Goffredus a Doengisterpo, Hemma Oddazin and Haring Sinnama. Also the home of the so-called FLD (Freeska Landriucht-printing firm) has not been established as yet. Print has therefore been the subject of scientific discussion for many Centuries and even this discussion was subject of a study in recent years (comp. Schouten 2001). What we do know, is that the same printing firm published five other works in Latin (comp. Kruitwagen 1948).
As we mentioned earlier, the contents are mainly legal texts. Below is a table of contents with a brief explanation (for full information on the Old-Frisian texts and manuscripts in which they appear, see: Johnston 2001; Sjölin 1969, p. 9-16; Gerbenzon 1975). This table of contents is subject to change: every now and again the bigger sections are split up into separate text units, appearing as separate sections. The following list has the Old-Frisian words printed in italics:
- Prologue: introduction to the table of contents (f 0.1r).
- Register: table of contents. N.B. The quire containing texts nos. 1. and 2. are left in only six of the remaining nine copies (f 0.1v - 0.2v).
- What is Law?: catechism on the question of what Law actually is (f 1r - f 6r).
- Oude Skeltariucht: law book containing Old West Frisian legal stipulations prescribing the duties of the skelta (comp. Dutch 'schout' = bailiff) (f 6r - f 22r).
- Legend of Karel (Charles) and Redbad: the story of Karel defeating Redbad and how the Frisians received the right from a Jesus figure (f 22r - f 23r).
- Magnus’ Statutes: seven privileges that Magnus received from Charlemagne after the liberation of Rome together with the Frisians (f 23r - 25r).
- Seventeen Statutes: very old Pan-Frisian law text (f 25r - f 31r).
- Prologue Statutes and Land Rights (f 31r - f 31v).
- Twenty-four Land Rights: very old Pan-Frisian law text (f 31v - f 40r).
- Eight dooms: eight stipulations regarding guardianship, minority, lease and law of succession (f 40v - f 42v).
- Six exceptions: cases in which people may not plead innocence by oath of guilt (f 42v - f 43r).
- Zeendeed: an oath the synodal judge pronounced at the start of a session of the synodal court (ecclesiastical court, comp. 'synod') calling for safety, truth and justice (f 43r - f 44v).
- Zeendrecht: general Old West Frisian ecclesiastical justice, related to the Oude Skeltariucht at times (f 44v - f 47r; cf. f 47r - f 51v).
- Later Skeltariucht (f 52r - f 61r).
- Statutes of the five Frisian municipalities ending in “-deel”: penalty conditions for the five municipalities ending in “-deel” of Westergo: Barradeel, Franekeradeel, Hennaarderadeel, Baarderadeel and Menaldumeradeel (f 61r - f 63v).
- Bireknada Bota: Old West Frisian penalty conditions (f 63v - f 71v).
- Essay on currencies (f 71v - f 72v).
- Rudolf book: law book, wrongfully attributed to Emperor Rudolf (of Schwabia?) (f 73r - f 83r).
- Market law: rules in terms of the competence of market judges (f 83v - f 84v).
- Swarte swengen: list of very serious offences (f 84v - f 85r).
- Skaakraaf: list of types of robberies and corresponding punishments (f 85r - f 86r).
- Statutes of the Opstalsboom: stipulations for the in 1323 re-initiated Opstalsboom assembly, in principle (but not in practical terms) applicable to the whole of Friesland. This concerns an assembly held every Tuesday after Whitsun at the tree on the 'opstal', a common situated southwest of Aurich (f 86r - f 87v).
- Treaty of the Seven Sealands: summing-up of the seven Frisian sealands (f 87v - f 88r).
The contents of Print indicate in first instance an ideological function of the incunabulum (comp. Johnston 1998, 2001). Perhaps the ideological character should be seen in the light of the struggle for power between urban and rural areas that flared up in the years following 1480. Or perhaps it was the pressure from outside Friesland, particularly by the city of Groningen. Whatever the case may be, the meaning of Print may well have been to show that the Frisians had their own codified legal system which, in view of the Latin annotations often referring to the Corpus Iuris Civilis, was linked to – and therefore authorised by – Roman Law. But of course we should not “a priori” dismiss the possibility that Print was a legal manual that any legal expert had access to. Further studies will also have to answer this question. This digital copy is by courtesy of the collection from the Friesch Genootschap, held by Tresoar. In view of his marginal notes, it must have been in the possession of Hemma Odda zin (sometimes also referred to as the possible principal of Print!), town clerk of Leeuwarden in 1486. This copy (Tresoar has two more copies of Print in its archives) has been decorated with beautifully coloured initials and has also the earlier mentioned quire with prologue and register (see above).
At this point in time the Fryske Akademy is preparing a modern, scientific edition of Print on the basis of the copy shown here.
Relevant literature
Anne Tjerk Popkema
Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden
|
