The Vehmic Courts. Their activity and impact explored with a focus on selected courts in Waldeck.

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Otfried Krafft
• Subject Area: Medieval History ; Principles of Law and Jurisprudence
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 467012670

Between the late 14th and the early 16th century, the Vehmic courts of medieval Westfalia gained a significant influence within the Holy Roman Empire, as some of them began to act as supreme courts. Subpoenas were issued to everyone regardless of their social status. Apart from political disturbances this led to harsh counter-reactions and a negative reputation that is still existing. In spite of this, the Vehmic courts attracted an increasing number of people searching for independent justice.After the magistral treatise by Lindner (1888/96) there was no attempt to outline the whole phenomenon. Researchers preferred case studies, mostly taking the perspective of the culprits, seldom of the plaintiffs and almost never of the courts. Moreover, the extent of the surviving source material was not perceived at all.In this project, some especially active Vehmic courts as Freienhagen, Sachsenhausen and their spin-offs in the county of Waldeck on the eastern fringe Westfalia have to be regarded closely. They were examplary for the whole system of Vehmic courts and its functioning, external interactions and inner connections. These courts saw a number of extraordinary lawsuits with high-ranking persons involved and important political implications, but their other activities extended far as well. Meanwhile, they developed strategies to shield themselves structurally and ideologically from outside interventions. Many were the hints in their communication to stress their claim, as by underlining the secrecy of the procedures and the threat of death penalty, also by accentuating their sacral status and retelling the legend of their foundation by Charlemagne. Little research on this has been done so far, either regarding the selected courts or the Vehmic system as a whole.First step to change this is to collect the extant source material, mostly charters and case-files, that is scattered on a number of archives inside and outside of modern Germany. Additionally law books, chronicles and a number of account-books have to be considered. Thereby all judicial activities of the selected courts and their far-reaching political and social relations will be clarified. Moreover, all persons involved have to identified and placed. Thus, the contacts outside of Westphalia, the changing number of lawsuits, the attempts to reorganize these courts and their decline after 1500 can be described more precisely. Their strategies of (de)legitimization in texts, pictures (such as seals) and rituals and their cultural impact deserve special attention, too.The desiderata on this field are manifold and numerous. They include research on a neglected field of interaction within the Holy Roman Empire, a new critical examination of the sources (also online) and a thorough study of this phenomenon (publications in languages other than German included). The project is to change that.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants