Maritime Law in the Middle Ages: Part 2

One important development in the middle ages was the practice of assigning maritime disputes to special maritime courts. One of the earliest example of this new kind of court was the maritime court of Pisa. Established in 1200 by the Pisan maritime guild, this court had comprehensive jurisdiction over maritime matters based upon the nature of the cause rather than the status or trade of the individual. From about this time it became common for port cities to have a "sea counsel" or other officials with maritime jurisdiction.

One of the most famous courts was the Maritime Court of Barcelona. The court was administered by a corps of "sea counsels" and it has left to us a complication and digest of its decisions. The Libro del Consulat del Mar, is one of the most comprehensive maritime works of its day and influenced the development of maritime law in France, Germany, and Holland. The Libro del Consulat del Mar also provided the model for the Admiralty of England.