The late Adam Vetulani was recognized as a modern authority on the canon law of the medieval Church. This is the second collection of his articles to be published by Variorum, the first focusing upon Gratian and his Decretum. The present volume supplements this with studies on the manuscripts of the Decretum, but also has a broader theme: the juridicial basis of ecclesiastical institutions and the spread of legal learning eastwards across Europe. The first item, presents a detailed study of the cathedral chapter of Strasbourg, dealing in particular with its legal status and relations with the bishop of the city. The following articles look at the development of library collections and the establishment of universities, notably in Poland, both of vital importance for the study of law upon which so much of the structure of the medieval Church depended. They also demonstrate the continuing value for modern research of the manuscripts preserved in those libraries.
