This volume's juxtaposition of the empires of Germany and France in 1806, at the dissolution of The Holy Roman Empire, allows a comparison of their transition towards modernity, explored through the themes of Empire, monarchy, political cultures, feudalism, war and military institutions, nationalism and identity, and everyday experience.

"Abolition of the feudal system is the most important single change to have occurred in land law in Scotland. Part 4 of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Sc) Act 2000, which deals with saving feudal burdens, came into force at the end of 2003, and the Act will be fully in force in November 2004. Practitioners need to grapple with the complex legislative provisions reforming Scottish property law and this book will be an essential aid. Professor Reid, the leading expert in this field, provides a clear and comprehensive guide to the implications of the abolition of the feudal system. His approach is highly practical throughout. Key sections of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc (Sc) Act 2000, as amended by the Title Conditions (Sc) Act 2003, and completed examples of forms prescribed by the Act are reproduced in the Appendices."

An exploration of current scholarly thinking about the wide and surprisingly complex range of historical problems associated with the study of Ancien Régime Europe

European law, including both civil law and common law, has gone through several major phases of expansion in the world. European legal history thus also is a history of legal transplants and cultural borrowings, which national legal histories as products of nineteenth-century historicism have until recently largely left unconsidered. The Handbook of European Legal History supplies its readers with an overview of the different phases of European legal history in the light of today's state-of-the-art research, by offering cutting-edge views on research questions currently emerging in international discussions. The Handbook takes a broad approach to its subject matter both nationally and systemically. Unlike traditional European legal histories, which tend to concentrate on "heartlands" of Europe (notably Italy and Germany), the Europe of the Handbook is more versatile and nuanced, taking into consideration the legal developments in Europe's geographical "fringes" such as Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. The Handbook covers all major time periods, from the ancient Greek law to the twenty-first century. Contributors include acknowledged leaders in the field as well as rising talents, representing a wide range of legal systems, methodologies, areas of expertise and research agendas.

Beginning with a discussion of familiar images of the French Revolution, this work looks at how the ancien régime became ancien as well as examining cases in which achievement failed to match ambition.