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Period: 1795 BCE to 1750 BCE
The Code of Hammurabi
This law system originated in Babylonia. The laws were written in Akkadian on a stele. Part of the stele depicted the Investiture of Hammurabi, in which the God Shamash gives authority to King Hammurabi. -
1790 BCE
Legal Significance of the Code of Hammurabi
This was one of the first written codes of law in recorded history. It included examples of retribution and restitution, which we still see in today's laws, especially the latter. -
1250 BCE
Legal Significance of Mosaic Law
The Ten Commandments were some of the greatest influences on our law and society because they were spoken about in the Bible, which was very important in the past because it was expected of most people to live their lives according to the Bible -
Period: 1250 BCE to 400 BCE
Mosaic Law
The Laws of Moses from the Book of Exodus. There were Ten Commandments that focused on the punishment of deliberate crime than accidental. -
449 BCE
Legal Significance of Roman Law
It became common for citizens to be reresented by an expert of law, the idea of lawyers came about. -
Period: 449 BCE to 529
Roman Law
Two basic principles: all laws must be recorded and justice cannot be interpreted by a judge alone. Women were not recognized as persons, and all laws were based upon patriarchal values. Lawyers became more common. -
400 BCE
Legal Significance of Greek Law
Our jury system comes from Athens, where they had up to 1501 jurors, but today we have 12. This was the beginning of involving local citizens in the legal system. -
Period: 400 BCE to 449 BCE
Greek Law
Only citizens had legal rights. Citizens excluded women, children, aliens, and slaves. Citizens had duties such as voting, jury duty, and running the country, -
527
Legal Significance of the Justinian Code
Today we use the word 'justice' which comes from Justinian's name. Justinian's Code started the legal involvement in civil issues, which is now one of the main legal systems. -
Period: 527 to 565
Justinian's Code
The Roman empire became the Byzantine and Western Roman Empires after 395 CE. Byzantine Emperor Justinian hired ten people to study the 1600 Roman law books, and based on the findings, he created the Justinian Code. -
900
Legal Significance of the Feudal System
The Feudal System influenced Canadian law by introducing a hierarchy, in which the people at the top (people with more money and social status) were less often held accountable than people at the bottom (people with less social status and less money). -
Period: 900 to 1400
The Feudal System
The king is in control of all the land and gives it to the barons, who gives it to the knights, who gives it to the villeins. In exchange, the villeins provide the knights with food and service, the knights provide the barons with protection, and the barons give money and knights to the king. -
1215
Legal Significance of the Magna Carta
the Magna Carta's influence has been in many legal documents since the 11th century. For example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights might have been very different without the guidelines of the Magna Carta. -
Period: 1215 to 1216
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was created to keep peace between King John and his barons. For many years, it was a symbol of liberty for the people. At first, it only gave the right of fair trial to free men, but it was later revised to be more inclusive. -
Legal Significance of Common law
In all provinces other than Quebec, the primary source of private law is the common law. -
Period: to
Common Law
Common law is law created by a judge that follows precedents created in the courts. -
Legal Significance of the Napoleonic Code
In the nineteenth century in twenty four countries, codes were based off of the Napoleonic code, which is still in effect in France (in amended form). -
Period: to
Napoleonic Code
Napoleon commissioned a new code of laws that were a compromise between Germanic Law and the Justinian Code. It was popular because it was accessible to the public. -
Legal Significance of Aboriginal Law (Indian Act)
Many First Nations Peoples do not like the unfair rules and laws written in the Indian Act but were reluctant to give it up because of protections, such as tax exemptions. Finally, it was proposed to repeal in the Indian Act by 2015 and replace it with a better version. -
Period: to
Aboriginal Law (Indian Act)
The Indian Act was created to administer First Nations Canadian statuses and the management of reserve land. At first, it was meant to assimilate First Nations Peoples into Euro-Canadian lifestyles but has since been revised to give special rights to First Nations Peoples. -
Legal Significance of the Declaration of Human Rights
This was a huge development not only for Canada, but for the world. Among other things, it states that all human beings are born free and equal, everyone has a right to security, life, and liberty, and deems slavery illegal. -
Period: to
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris, France. It was written after World War Two as a preventative measure in case any wars might have followed.
