The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Royal Code
He who speaks of the king or of one or several of the king’s
advisors anything that would offend the honour and reputation and when none of it cannot
be proven will he have his head severed at the neck, in case six men with good reputations
will have witnessed the act and will testify to it. If he utters any other abusive words,
which do not offend honour or reputation, shall he have to pay a fine of 40 marks or
otherwise spend one month in the king’s jail with only water and bread to eat.
This is how the noblemen shall serve their king: He who wishes
that taxes shall be exempted from his estate, whether he was a knight or a nobleman, there
are no exceptions, shall own such a good horse as it is worth well at least 40 Swedish
marks. It shall be better but not worse and moreover the body and the legs shall be
covered in full armour. Nothing with which a decent man may defend himself shall be
exempted.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Marital Code
If a man desires to ask for a wife for himself, he shall go to
the maiden’s matchmaker or a close relative and state his request.---When a man
wishes to engage a wife, shall there be the maiden’s matchmaker as well as four
witnesses available: two from the man’s and two from the woman’s side
respectively. Then he shall be legally engaged.---When a woman has legally been engaged,
the clergyman in whose parish the woman resides shall publicly announce of the marriage on
three separate Sundays and then she can freely be wedded. If the groom lays with the woman
before the wedding, shall he have to pay a fine of 3 marks to the bishop. If the engaged
conceive children with each other, shall the children become legitimate once they are in
marriage.
When a man and a wife are married and have laid a night together,
the man becomes his wife’s real representative and he shall both sue and stand
trial for his wife. Let the man then give his wife the morning gift. A knight shall give
his wife as morning gift 40 marks of full weight according to the Swedish weight, not
more. The ordinary noblemen shall give 10 marks of full weight. A peasant who has
permanent residence, shall give 3 Swedish marks. A loose man one mark. ---If anyone gives
more than has now been stated, shall he not have strength, but after his death the excess
shall be given back to his inheritors and furthermore the king shall be given 40 marks as
an exclusive fine. When the morning gift is given there shall be twelve available as
witnesses as well as a thirteenth who shall act as a chairman. The morning gift shall not
be given unless it is the actual day after the wedding.
The Land Acts of
King Kristoffer 1442, The Inheritance Code
If a man or a wife dies and leaves children behind: a son and a
daughter, the son shall inherit 2 parts and the daughter the third part. And let the
son’s children receive inheritance like the son and the daughter’s children like
the daughter respectively. Whether any of the siblings are still living or not.
A mother has to support her illegitimate child until it is 3
years of age. Then the father shall support it until it is 7 years of age. However, both
shall take care of it until it is 7 years of age. Now a foster mother shall be hired for
the child and the child shall be harmed by the bad care. Then the bishop must decide who
shall have to fast for the sake of the child.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Land Code
Now someone wants to sell the land they received as heritage.
They then have to at three separate circuit courts of the jurisdictional district legally
offer it to be bought out by the relatives: Land inherited from father to the
father’s side of the family and land inherited from mother to the mother’s side
of the family respectively. Let then the family members have for one night and one year
time to buy the land. If they do not buy the land within this one night and one year, the
man has the right to sell the land to whom ever he wishes to; let no relative after this
ever again sue the man for this land.
Let no man ever sell land from under his wife, except if the
following incidents force him to: if a foreign troop, heathen or Christian penetrates the
land and captures the man and the wife and takes them away and if then a notice arrives
that the man or the wife must be redeemed. Now there is nothing but the wife’s land:
Let the man then sell her land as her ransom. Furthermore let the wife sell her
husband’s land as his ransom if he is the prisoner. Now they will face famine and
they will want to sell land to support them. If they both have land let two thirds of the
man’s land and one third of the wife’s land be sold. Now the man doesn’t
own any land or movable property: let then him sell his wife’s land of six
mark’s worth per year, but not more. And let this affair be made legally at the
circuit court, and also let the man and wife announce what is it that forces them to do
it.
If a man runs away from his wife or a wife runs from her man or
if the man goes off on a pilgrimage, so will the children and who ever stays at home be in
need of a living. Let who ever stays at home have the right to sell what ever movable
property he wishes for a living. Let also what ever the woman decides to do in these
circumstances be as valid as what the man would do and let the man lose two thirds and the
woman one third of their possessions. Everything a man and a wife sell or buy during their
marriage, will be their mutual fortune.
If a man or a woman grows old or falls ill, the children are
obligated to support them until they die, whether they owned more or less.---The eldest
child must first support them and then each and everyone in their order of birth.---If
there are no children, let the same law as has stated apply to the other relatives as
well. Who ever is the closest to the inheritance, if they had died, must be the first to
support them.---Let the inheritors be obliged to if they can to support their father and
mother, if they become poor or grow old, whether they had possessions or not. A son or a
daughter who refuses to support his father or his mother shall pay a fine of 3 marks for
each year: the real plaintiff shall receive the fine.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Building Code
Now a peasant goes to the enclosed field with his sowing bushel.
All the villagers will have to block the fence from pigs before the sowing bushel will be
brought to the field.
All fences must be ready by Labour Day: If they aren’t a
fine must be paid. ---Let the same law apply the Autumn rye sowing: the fences must be
blocked from the pigs by Matti’s day and ready by Mikko’s day.
If a peasant hires a man or a woman and gives them payment or if
he offers to give them food and if they then resign from him before the end of the service
season, let them return the payment to the peasant and as much money as he had promised
them. ---In a year there shall be two service seasons: one starting from Whitsuntide and
ending in Martti’s day, the other continuing until Whitsuntide. Let the hired hands
be free for seven days in between, but not more. Then they have to accept service.
Everyone who has less possession than three marks, must enter service. Who ever keeps them
at his house after he has offered them payment which they have refused, must pay a fine of
three marks. Everyone who has possession three marks or more and is willing to accept
service, will have to pay tax have of what a peasant pays.
A peasant or a tenant who isn’t growing a hop-field of 40
poles, will have to pay a fine of three Swedish pennies per year.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Trade Code
If someone buys from someone else a hoofed animal, a weapon with
a handle or fabric cut in the shape of a cloth, a golden or silvery piece of artefact or a
lockable building with a door the trade must take place in front of a confirmant of the
trade and witnesses.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Peace Oath Code
If someone forcefully lies a woman and he is caught red-handed
and there are twelve men who will bare witness, the Judge of the jurisdiction district
must at once section a lot stick and call in a circuit court and condemn the man to be
executed with a sword, let it not be postponed further.
If someone kills another person or wounds him or hits a bloody
cut or bruise at the circuit court or in the church itself he has broken the Peace Oath,
unless the act was accidental: for there shall everyone have peace.
If someone by using full violence steals movable property from
someone else, what ever it may be, worth half a mark or more and they are caught
red-handed, he must be taken to the circuit court and the board of the jurisdiction
district must be let to testify that he is a full robber. If they hereby testify, must he
be condemned for execution by sword.---If he steals out of 3 pennies worth or more, but
less than a half a mark, and he is with full proof being sued for it and accused of it,
and he is unable to defend himself with the help of six permanently residing men, may he
pay a fine of 20 marks. ---Now someone residing in the woods, a boat or some other place
starts to steal. If he steal a little or a lot and it becomes commonly known, anyone can
freely catch him and everyone who are in his company, and take them to the circuit court.
There twelve many from the jurisdiction district must be appointed who must investigate
the case. If it is discovered, that he has in connection with the case either at land or
at sea taken someone’s life, they shall be executed. Who ever knowingly gives shelter
to these kinds of men or protects them, is as criminal as they are. These are called
robbers and pirates.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Grave Matter
Code
If it happens so bad that that some person takes his own life,
how ever it might happen, he has to be taken to the woods and burned at stake: but if it
is commonly known that he had first become such a lunatic that he couldn’t see the
danger, he shall be dug into the earth outside the church yard.
If a man leaves his legally wedded wife and gets legally engaged
to another woman and lies her and the wife he legally married earlier is still alive, and
this can be proven with clear evidence and church law, the man must lose his life. Also
the woman, if she does this. The man must be executed and the woman buried alive.
If a man bewitches a man or a woman or a woman bewitches a woman
or a man so that the woman or the man dies from it, they shall lose their life for that
act. The man must be executed and the woman burned.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Wilful Manslaughter
Code
If the closest relative of a murdered man comes within a day and
angrily without judgement kills the murderer, let him pay fine and fast like any other
killer, but let him not run away from the province and let him not lose his life, but let
him pay eight aurtua’s (1/3 marks in silver) and 13 marks to the king as well as the
jurisdictional district.
If a priest or some other clergyman kills a layman, shall the
bishop then take the king’s share of the fine, the inheritors of the deceased will
take the plaintiff’s share and the cathedral the share of the jurisdictional
district.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Wilful Wounding
Code
Because God has given a wife as a help and subject to the man,
however not as a slave or a footstool, they shall both cherish each other: the wife must
love her man as her head and the man his wife as his limb. If therefore the man out of
hatred or evil, drunken or for another woman whom he loves beats his wife blue or
crippled, will he have to pay a double fine for each of these offences and the closest
relatives of the wife will act as plaintiffs. If a man disciplines her within reason for
her offences, the man doesn’t need to pay fine. Let the board of the jurisdictional
district together with the neighbours investigate the truth.
The Land Acts of King Kristoffer 1442, The Thief Code
The best thing a peasant has in his household is his legal wife.
Who ever steals her from the peasant, is the greatest and worst thief. And therefore he
who allures the peasant’s wife and runs off with her and is caught red-handed, will
have to be taken to the circuit court and condemned and hanged above all other thieves. If
the peasant so wishes, shall the wife also be taken to circuit court and condemned and
buried alive.
If someone steals gold, silver, cash, a horse, clothes, a weapon
or any kinds of goods worth over half a mark and he is caught red-handed and the stolen
goods in his possession, he must be tied and taken to the circuit court. And there he must
be allowed to testify as has been stated before and be convicted and hanged, but let there
be no fine for his crime and no division of his moveable possessions.
If someone fells an apple tree or a fruit tree out of someone
else’s garden, let him pay a fine of three marks. If he cuts a branch off the fruit
tree, let him pay a fine of six pennies, if he caught at it with witnesses.
Kyllikki
Männikkö
