Jewish Law and Italian Local Laws

Vittore Colorni was born in Mantua in 1912. He graduated in Law in Bologna in 1933. The racial laws of 1938 forced Colorni to leave Mantua. Armed with false documents, he and his family moved to Rome, where Vittore continued his studies, evading the prohibitions imposed on Jews. In 1945 he published the volume Legge ebraica e leggi locali (Jewish law and Italian local laws). He was then called to teach Ecclesiastical Law (1946-1956) and History of Italian Law (1956-1987) at Ferrara University. Between 1969 and 1971 he chaired as Faculty Dean. His favorite field of research was always the history of Italian Jewry. Vittore Colorni was both an eminent historian and a distinguished scholar. His entire scope of studies remains unmatched due to his thorough research in countless libraries and state archives in Italy and abroad and his extensive analysis of every uncovered document. The essays he gathered on the specificity of Jewish culture in Judaica Minora (1983) and the methodological rigor in their exposition became a model of interdisciplinary research methods.

• Translator’s NoteVittore Colorni (1912–2005): a Historian of Law and (Jewish) MinorityJews, “Economy”, and the Law in the Works of Vittore ColorniHistory of Italian Jews and History of Italian Law RevisitedIntroductionPart 1: The Status Civitatis1 The Roman Empire and Italy in Particular1 The Pagan Age2 The Christian Age2 Italy – The Ostrogoth Age3 Italy – The Longobard Age4 The Holy Roman Empire and Italy in Particular1 The Carolingian and Pre-Feudal Age2 The Feudal Age3 The Intermediate Period (From the Glossators to The Emancipation)Part 2: Jewish Law and State LawSection 1: The Conflict between Jewish Law and Local Laws in General and with Regard to the Norms of Private Law5 The Roman Empire and Italy in Particular6 The Ostrogothic Age7 The Longobard Age8 The Holy Roman Empire and Italy in Particular1 Carolingian and Feudal Age2 Intermediate PeriodSection 2: The Conflict Concerning Constitutional Principles: the Question of Referral9 The Constitutional Principles1 General Principles on the Legality of the State and Its Organs and the Constitutionality of the Laws2 Principles About the Legitimacy of the Administrative Acts3 Principles About the Validity of the Judicial Proceedings10 The Deferment Question1 The Form of the Acts2 The Substantive LawPART 3: The Jurisdictional Autonomy11 General Principles12 From the Roman Period to the 13th Century1 The Roman and Byzantine Period2 The Ostrogothic Period3 The Longobard Period4 The Carolingian Period13 From the 14th to the 19th Century1 The Kingdom of Sicily2 The Kingdom of Naples3 The Papal States (Except Ferrara)4 The Grand Duchy of Tuscany5 The Duchy of Piedmont6 The Marquisate of Monferrato7 The Duchy of Milan8 The Duchy of Ferrara9 The Duchy of Modena and Reggio10 The Venetian Republic11 The Duchy of MantuaAppendix of DocumentsIndex of Authors CitedGeneral Index