Legal History

Education

Teaching Legal History

Teaching Legal History has a long tradition at Leiden. The first chair in Roman law was appointed immediately in 1575: it was Cornelis de Groot, an uncle of his rather more famous nephew Hugo. Legal History has been a part of the Leiden curriculum ever since.

The Department of Legal History teaches a compulsory course in the first year of the bachelor's programme in law, and in the first and second year of the bachelor's programme in notarial law, and a restricted elective course in the third year of the bachelor's programme in law. Additionally, three elective courses are on offer, as well as a seminar on reading Latin legal texts. The department is also known for its active student society for Roman law and European legal history, Philips van Leyden b.p.