|
Rule
of
Law: The Story of Human Rights in World History |
Important
Dates in the History of Justice:
Timeline of
developments in Western law from Hammurabi's Code to International
Criminal Court.
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| Antiquity | |
| c.1700 BCE | Hammurabi's Code, Best example of an early king giving a system of laws and punishments to his people |
| c.1260 BCE | Ten Commandments, Laws given to Moses by Judeo-Christian God |
| c. 750-200 BCE | Ancient Greece: -Development of universal principle of justice, called "natural law" -Protection granted to diplomats -Right of asylum in sacred places -Confederations of cities -Treaties with Phoenicians and Hebrews, among other Middle Eastern peoples |
| 399 BCE | Trial of Socrates, Philosopher sentenced to death for not believing in state gods and corrupting the youth |
| 375 BCE | The Republic, Plato, Discussion
of concept of justice and means to create a just state |
| c. 330 BCE | The Politics; Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle, Discussion of function of states and individual ethical responsibility |
| 510-49 BCE | Roman Republic |
| c. 450 BCE | Twelve Tables, Use of codified body of laws to administer and rule |
| 49 BCE- 476 CE | Roman Empire |
| 53 BCE | De Republica, Cicero, The philosopher/orator/politician reflects on the history of the Roman Republic, types of government, and natural law |
| Middle Ages | |
| 5th c. CE-1453 | Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) Separation from Rome-Fall of Constantinople (to Ottoman Turks) |
| 529, 534 |
Justinian Code: often seen as the "endpoint" of Roman jurisprudence First Justinian Code (529): compiled by Tribonian's commission to consolidate previous Roman law in coherent and accessible code.Code was amended five years later to include Justinian's own decrees and ordinances. Theodora, Justinian's wife, encouraged the inclusion of women's rights, including a widow's rights as guardian of her children and a wife's right to property equaling her dowry. |
| 476-1400 | Middle Ages in Europe Advocacy of natural law by Thomas Aquinas and followers (Scholastics) Pope is leader of Christian community and sovereign among sovereigns. Hugo Grotius, father of international law, discusses jus gentium (law of nations) to describe relations among states, between individuals and states, and between individuals of different states. |
| 1215 | Magna Carta, King John of England acquiesces to demands of nobles and relinquishes his own and future sovereign's absolute power over subjects. |
| Enlightenment | (Age of Reason) |
| 1648 |
Peace of Westphalia, Ends Thirty Years' War: The peace lays the basis for state system by allowing sovereigns to determine the religion in their territories while emphasizing religious tolerance |
| 1679 | Habeas Corpus Act, Another outcome of a struggle between a weak king and empowered English nobles, this act established the right of habeas corpus ("have the body") whereby accused have a right to be brought before a judge and charged with a crime in a timely fashion. |
| 1689 | Bill of Rights (England), Contract between the new monarchs William and Mary of Orange and Parliament limiting the rights and privileges of future sovereigns |
| 1690 | Second Treatise on Government, John Locke, Argument for the rights of a people to rebel against an unjust government for the protection of life, liberty, and property |
| 1748 | The Spirit of the Laws, Charles de Montesquieu, Only a separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers will prevent abuses of power. |
| 1762 | Social Contract, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Justice is found through popular consensus or "general will," a foundation for the modern legislature |
| 1776 | Declaration of Independence (U.S.) |
| 1789 | Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen (France), Demands by French Estates-General that began French Revolution |
| 1791 | Constitution and Bill of Rights (U.S.) |
| Rise of Nationalism | (Age of Positivism) |
| 1803 | Marbury v Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall of U.S. Supreme Court establishes principle of "judicial review," giving courts the power to determine whether the laws passed by the legislature are constitutional and "just" |
| 1804 | Napoleonic Code, Codification of law for France and its growing Empire, the Code would later become the foundation for the Civil Law tradition on the European continent |
| 1863 | Founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross |
| 1864 | Geneva Convention discusses treatment of prisoners and neutrals during war |
| 1900 | Hague Convention, first modern international effort to write rules for war |
| 20th Century | |
| 1919 | Establishment of the League of Nations (U.S. and USSR not included) |
| 1928 | Kellogg-Briand Pact, outlaws war as a means of resolving disputes |
| 1945 | Nuremburg War Crimes Trial |
| 1945 | Charter of the United Nations |
| 1948 | Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| 1969 | Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties |
| 1993 | International Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia |
| 2000 | International Criminal Court |
page created by Hallie Fader, ORIAS, July 2004.
Sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley Office of Resources for International and Area Studies (ORIAS), Institute of East Asian Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Institute of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, Center for South Asia Studies, Center for Southeast Asia Studies, Institute of European Studies.
Funding is provided by Title VI grants from the United States Department of Education.