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Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory

We provide a forum for reflecting on law.
We explore its theory and history in a comparative and global perspective.
We address societal challenges by contributing to a deeper understanding of law.
Group photo of the Department Auer
Department Marietta Auer
Group photo of the Department Duve
Department Thomas Duve
Group photo of the Department Vogenauer
Department Stefan Vogenauer
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A laptop sits on a wooden desk in front of a bookshelf. The screen displays the search interface of the "Repertorium der Policeyordnungen" database from the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory. Next to it are three hardcover volumes titled “Repertorium der Policeyordnungen der Frühen Neuzeit,” edited by Michael Stolleis, focusing on Denmark and its duchies.
Who is permitted to do what, when and where? In the early modern period, police ordinances (Policeyordnungen) were designed to clarify these questions down to the smallest detail. Now, for the first time, comprehensive information on these early modern norms has been made accessible in a digital repertory – in Open Access and searchable format. This not only enables new historical insights but also facilitates comparative analyses of early modern normative worlds across space, time and forms of rule.
An AI-generated image showing a woman seen from behind, looking through two windows into separate office spaces. On the left, an older man is buried in paperwork in a dim, cluttered room. On the right, two younger colleagues engage in a bright, modern-looking office, sharing documents and smiling. The scene highlights a stark contrast between bureaucratic burden and collaborative workplace culture.
Grey files, cold rules? Think again. In the Systemfragen podcast from Deutschlandfunk, our director Marietta Auer reveals a surprising truth: bureaucracy is anything but emotionless. It shapes how we feel - sometimes soothing, often infuriating. From the quiet satisfaction of a smooth process to the rage of a confusing form, our emotional response says more about society than we think.
An AI-generated image depicting a parliamentary session in a classical chamber with wooden desks and numerous suited individuals attentively listening. However, the room is flooded up to seat level, creating a surreal and critical scene—as if the politicians are literally conducting business while submerged, ignoring the obvious crisis.
Earthquakes, floods, industrial accidents – environmental disasters are not just natural events. They can put pressure on political systems and reshape political agendas. But under what conditions do they trigger real political change? And why do some disasters lead to swift action, while others leave barely a trace?
Jan-Henrik Meyer explores these dynamics from a historical perspective in the Deutschlandfunk Nova podcast Eine Stunde History. His research shows that the political impact of environmental disasters depends largely on their societal and political context.

Los pleitos de Remigio Márquez

Jun 10, 2025 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
mpilhlt & online, Room: A 601

Meet the Author: J. J. Moreso (Barcelona)

Jun 10, 2025 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
mpilhlt, Room: Z01

Reconsidering 'Law' in Traditional China and Beyond: A Shift of Approach from Judicature to Governance

Jun 11, 2025 04:15 PM - 05:45 PM (Local Time Germany)
mpilhlt, Room: Z 01
Beyond Property. Ownership Regimes in the Iberian World (1500-1850)
Cover Rechtsgeschichte – Legal History 32 (2024)
Cover Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte - Band 343, Heinz Mohnhaupt – Privilegien als Sonderrechte in europäischen Rechtsordnungen vom Mittelalter bis heute
Cover Global Perspectives on Legal History – Band 25, Legal Transfer and Legal Geography in the British Empire
Cover Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte - Band 337, Legal Pluralism and Social Change in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Cover Max Planck Studies in Global Legal History of the Iberian Worlds - Band 4, The Production of Knowledge of Normativity in the Age of the Printing Press
Cover SSSRN Paper 2024-08 What was Canon Law in Hispanic America and the Philippines (16th-18th Century)? An introduction to its sources, its modus operandi and its legal historical analysis
Cover Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte - Band 346, Otto Hintze
Cover Global Perspectives on Legal History – Band 24, Los viajes de las ideas sobre la cuestión criminal hacia/desde Argentina
Cover Studien zur Rechtstheorie – Band 001, Norberto Bobbio
Cover Global Perspectives on Legal History – Band 23, The Fabric of the Ordinary
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