Brehon law

E222868

Brehon law was the traditional, clan-based legal system of early Gaelic Ireland, characterized by customary judgments, restitution over punishment, and the authority of professional jurists called brehons.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Brehon law canonical 10
Celtic legal traditions 1
brehons 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf customary law
legal system
medieval Irish law
administeredBy Brehon law self-linksurface differs
surface form: brehons
aimsAt restoring social harmony
appliedIn Gaelic Ireland
early medieval Ireland
associatedWith early Irish literature
brehonIs judge
legal expert
professional jurist
codifiedIn Book of Aicill
Senchas Már
various law tracts
decisionBasis precedent and custom
developedFrom pre-Christian Irish customs
disfavors capital punishment
imprisonment
emphasizes restitution over punishment
follows Gaelic customary practice
governed contracts
inheritance
kinship relations
marriage
property rights
status and rank
graduallyReplacedBy English law
surface form: English common law in Ireland
hasCharacteristic clan-based
customary
restitution-focused
hasProfession brehon
influencedBy Brehon law self-linksurface differs
surface form: Celtic legal traditions
language Old Irish
partOf Gaelic Irish culture
recognizes clan
clientship
different social grades
fosterage
honour price
sureties
tuath
women’s property rights
studiedIn Irish legal history
timePeriod early medieval period
up to the late Middle Ages
uses arbitration-like procedures
compensation payments
fines

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (12)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gaelic Ireland notableLawCode Brehon law
Brehon law administeredBy Brehon law self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: brehons
Brehon law influencedBy Brehon law self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Celtic legal traditions
Uí Briúin governedByLaw Brehon law
Upper Ossory governedUnder Brehon law
High Kingship of Ireland basedOn Brehon law
Gaelic Irish governedBy Brehon law
Gaelic Irish legalSystem Brehon law
Kingdom of Connacht legalSystem Brehon law
Kingdom of Leinster legalSystem Brehon law