The Perpetual Edict of 12 July 1611 was a decree of the Archdukes

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

and

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

governing legal process in the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

. It consisted of 47 clauses laying out the basic rules of criminal and civil procedure. It was printed in both Dutch and French by

Rutger Velpius Rutger Velpius (around 1540–1614/15) was a 16th- and 17th-century printer and bookseller. He was the first printer in the city of Mons, and later became printer to the court in Brussels. His career coincided closely with the first decades of the ...

, printer to the court. The edict had a fundamental impact on the codification of

customary law A legal custom is the established pattern of behavior that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. A claim can be carried out in defense of "what has always been done and accepted by law". Customary law (also, consuetudina ...

, which it did much to encourage. It also placed a legal obligation on parish churches to register births, marriages and deaths (alongside the existing ecclesiastical legislation to that effect), and on local magistrates to ensure that the secular authorities obtained a copy of such registers each year (a stipulation apparently only applied in the city of

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

).A. Libois, "Tekening in een parochieregister: het huwelijk", in ''Doorheen de nationale geschiedenis'' (State Archives in Belgium, Brussels, 1980), pp. 179-190.

Studies

* Antonius Anselmo, ''Commentaria ad perpetuum edictum serenissimorum Belgii principum Alberti et Isabellae evulgatum 12. Iulii. M.DC.XI'' (Antwerp: Petrus Bellerus, 1656)
available on Google Books
2nd edition 1664
on Google Books
; 3rd edition 1701
on Google Books
* Georges Martyn, ''Het Eeuwig Edict van 12 juli 1611: Zijn genese en zijn rol in de verschriftelijking van het privaatrecht'' (Brussels: Algemeen Rijksarchief, 2000).

References

{{Reflist

External links

on the website of

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Kulak The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven associatie Kortrijk (Catholic University of Leuven Campus Kortrijk), or short Kulak is a university satellite campus of the KU Leuven in the city of Kortrijk (Courtrai) in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Fl ...

. Undated. Accessed 26 January 2015.
Scan of the Dutch edition on Google Books
from

Ghent University Library Ghent University Library ( nl, Universiteitsbibliotheek Gent) is located in the city of Ghent, Belgium. It serves the university community of students and scholarly researchers. History After Ghent University was founded in 1817, books confiscated ...

.
Scan of the French edition on Google Books
from Ghent University Library. 1611 in law 1611 in the Habsburg Netherlands Legal history of Belgium nl:Eeuwig Edict (1611) fr:%C3%89dit perp%C3%A9tuel (1611)