This book is the result of a four-year research project I carried out as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Roman Law and Legal History of the KU Leuven. The debts I incurred over these years are numerous. In the first place, I would like to thank Alain Wijffels, who conceived and submitted the research proposal the grant for which (from the Research Foundation – Flanders) funded my fellowship. When I first met him in December 2014, on the day of my doctoral defence at the ens de Lyon, I never imagined that within a few weeks he would offer me the opportunity to work on this project. I am extremely grateful to him for this deeply enriching experience, as I am for his methodological comments, our countless conversations and his constant encouragement.
My gratitude is also extended to the other members of the KU Leuven Department. Its former head, the late Laurent Waelkens, welcomed me warmly in Leuven and provided me with the most generous support throughout my fellowship. To the current head, Randall Lesaffer, I am indebted for our fruitful discussions and the helpful remarks he made while reading my manuscript. Wim Decock, Wouter Druwé, Stephan Dusil, Paolo Angelini, Paolo Astorri, Viktorija Jakjimovska, Joost Possemiers and Philippine Van den Brande are to be thanked for the good times we spent together and our conversations on my topic. I wish also to express my thankfulness to the dean of the KU Leuven Faculty of Law, Bernard Tilleman, for the support received from the Faculty.
In 2016 I worked for several weeks at the library of the Max-Planck-Institut für europäische Rechtsgeschichte (Frankfurt am Main). I am grateful to the directors of the Institute, Thomas Duve and Stefan Vogenauer for this opportunity, and to the library staff for their competent assistance. Very special thanks are due to Vincenzo Colli, who shared his immense knowledge of Baldus’ work with me and patiently answered my numerous questions, both during my stay in Frankfurt and later. Many other European libraries have facilitated my work over the last few years, providing assistance during my visits, sending me material, or by virtue of their digitisation projects: these include the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich, the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
During this research, I have received advice and help on many different points from a number of other scholars, among whom I should like to mention especially Joseph Canning, Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri, Antonio Ciaralli, Emanuele Conte, Andrea Gamberini, Andrea Gardi, Armand Jamme, Paolo Mari, Andrea Padovani, Maria Alessandra Panzanelli Fratoni, Ken Pennington, Viviana Persi Pivetti, Ferdinando Treggiari and Gian Maria Varanini. The final
From an early stage, Rachel Murphy took on the task of reading the manuscript and amending my English. In many cases, her insightful questions and remarks spurred me to clarify my thought. I thank her for her patience and valuable help.