The Vehmic Courts. Their activity and impact explored with a focus on selected courts in Waldeck.

在14世纪末到16世纪初之间，中世纪威斯特法利亚的Vehmic法院在神圣罗马帝国内获得了重要的影响力，其中一些法院开始充当最高法院。传票发给了每个人，不管他们的社会地位如何。除了政治动乱外，这导致了严厉的反反应和至今仍存在的负面声誉。尽管如此，Vehmic法庭还是吸引了越来越多寻求独立司法的人。在林德纳（Lindner, 1888/96）的权威论文之后，没有人试图概述整个现象。研究人员更喜欢案例研究，大多从罪犯的角度出发，很少从原告的角度出发，几乎从不从法院的角度出发。此外，人们根本没有意识到幸存的原始材料的程度。在这个项目中，一些特别活跃的Vehmic法院，如Freienhagen， Sachsenhausen和他们在Westfalia东部边缘的Waldeck县的衍生品，必须密切关注。它们是整个吠陀法庭系统及其功能、外部互动和内部联系的典范。这些法院审理了一些涉及高级人士和重要政治影响的特别诉讼，但它们的其他活动也很广泛。与此同时，他们制定了一些策略，在结构上和意识形态上保护自己不受外部干预。许多人在他们的通信中暗示要强调他们的要求，例如强调程序的秘密性和死刑的威胁，也强调他们的神圣地位，并重述查理曼大帝建立他们的传说。到目前为止，关于这一点的研究很少，无论是针对选定的法院还是整个Vehmic系统。改变这种状况的第一步是收集现存的原始材料，主要是宪章和案件档案，它们分散在现代德国境内外的许多档案馆中。此外，还必须考虑法律书籍、编年史和一些账簿。因此，选定的法院的所有司法活动及其影响深远的政治和社会关系将得到澄清。此外，必须查明和安置所有有关人员。因此，威斯特伐利亚以外的联系，诉讼数量的变化，重组这些法院的尝试以及它们在1500年后的衰落都可以更准确地描述。他们在文字、图片（如印章）和仪式上的（去）合法化策略及其文化影响也值得特别关注。这方面的要求是多方面的。它们包括对神圣罗马帝国内部一个被忽视的互动领域的研究，对来源（也是在线的）的新的批判性检查，以及对这种现象的彻底研究（包括德语以外语言的出版物）。这个项目就是要改变这一点。

Between the late 14th and the early 16th century, the Vehmic courts of medieval Westfalia gained a significant influence within the Holy Roman Empire, as some of them began to act as supreme courts. Subpoenas were issued to everyone regardless of their social status. Apart from political disturbances this led to harsh counter-reactions and a negative reputation that is still existing. In spite of this, the Vehmic courts attracted an increasing number of people searching for independent justice.After the magistral treatise by Lindner (1888/96) there was no attempt to outline the whole phenomenon. Researchers preferred case studies, mostly taking the perspective of the culprits, seldom of the plaintiffs and almost never of the courts. Moreover, the extent of the surviving source material was not perceived at all.In this project, some especially active Vehmic courts as Freienhagen, Sachsenhausen and their spin-offs in the county of Waldeck on the eastern fringe Westfalia have to be regarded closely. They were examplary for the whole system of Vehmic courts and its functioning, external interactions and inner connections. These courts saw a number of extraordinary lawsuits with high-ranking persons involved and important political implications, but their other activities extended far as well. Meanwhile, they developed strategies to shield themselves structurally and ideologically from outside interventions. Many were the hints in their communication to stress their claim, as by underlining the secrecy of the procedures and the threat of death penalty, also by accentuating their sacral status and retelling the legend of their foundation by Charlemagne. Little research on this has been done so far, either regarding the selected courts or the Vehmic system as a whole.First step to change this is to collect the extant source material, mostly charters and case-files, that is scattered on a number of archives inside and outside of modern Germany. Additionally law books, chronicles and a number of account-books have to be considered. Thereby all judicial activities of the selected courts and their far-reaching political and social relations will be clarified. Moreover, all persons involved have to identified and placed. Thus, the contacts outside of Westphalia, the changing number of lawsuits, the attempts to reorganize these courts and their decline after 1500 can be described more precisely. Their strategies of (de)legitimization in texts, pictures (such as seals) and rituals and their cultural impact deserve special attention, too.The desiderata on this field are manifold and numerous. They include research on a neglected field of interaction within the Holy Roman Empire, a new critical examination of the sources (also online) and a thorough study of this phenomenon (publications in languages other than German included). The project is to change that.