Pro Memorie - Current Issue

Abstract The question whether or not the sea can be owned or controlled has occupied the minds of many over the centuries. The discovery of America by Columbus made the questions of ownership of the sea and how regimes to govern the sea could be created and managed gaining importance on a global scale. The historiography of the law of the sea is mostly focussing on the ‘battle of the books’ dominated by the Read More

Abstract In The Hague there was a Saint Yvogilde, mentioned 1510-1560. It was the craft guild of lawyers, solicitors and bailiffs, connected to the Court of Holland. This court was located at the Binnenhof. There was also the Court Chapel, which included a Saint Ivo chapel mentioned since 1488, and a Saint Ivo altar, mentioned from 1481. The relationship between guild, chapel and altar is unknown. More insight into the rel Read More

Abstract In the period 1811 to 1867, the Courts of Assizes were in principle competent to try rapes and indecent assaults. An examination of the judgments made by the Court of Assizes of the Leiedepartment/the province of West Flanders in this period shows that in this period 229 people were accused before that Court of one or both crimes, but only 143 of them were punished for one or both crimes. In addition, 27 of tho Read More

Abstract Early on in the Second World War, a third of Belgian mayors left their post, escaping German occupation. Many were replaced by members of the Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond with the support of the occupier. After the War, seven such ‘wartime mayors’ from West-Flanders were charged with endangerment of the State’s external security and finally tried on appeal before the Ghent court-martial. Their crimi Read More