Comparative Perspectives in Scottish and Norwegian Legal History, Trade and Seafaring, 1200-1800

Examines the connections and points of contact between Norwegian law and Scots law.

• Brings together contributions from distinguished and early career scholars, with expertise in the fields of legal, economic and political history
• Compares Scottish and Norwegian state formation, governance of the realm and town law, migration, trade and seafaring across the North Sea
• Lays the groundwork for future studies in comparative legal history between Scotland and Norway
• Reflects on and contributes to the methodology of comparative legal history more generally
• Each chapter pair is accompanied by an introduction by the editors drawing out the common themes

There were significant points of contact and similarities in the ways in which the laws of Scotland and Norway developed. The Treaty of Perth of 1266 was of significance in the state formation of both countries, and in the determination of their territorial boundaries. The laws and customs applicable in the Orkneys and the Shetlands remain distinctive due to Norse influence, centuries after those islands became subject to Scottish sovereignty. The extensive trading links between two countries united by the North Sea raises the question of how trade between the territories was regulated.

This book brings together experts in Norwegian and Scottish legal, economic and political history to explore these points of contact. It breaks new ground, considering Scots law in terms of its historical interactions and similarities with another national legal system, rather than in terms of its place at the intersection between the common law and the civilian traditions.

This definitive reference work will form the basis of future studies in comparative legal history, and comparative law more generally, in relation to Scotland and Norway.