Corpus Juris Civilis

The Corpus Juris Civilis is a comprehensive compilation of Roman law commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, completed in stages between 529 and 534 AD. It comprises four parts: the Codex, a compilation of imperial statutes; the Digest or Pandects, excerpts from the writings of classical Roman jurists; the Institutes, an introductory legal textbook; and the Novellae, later laws issued after 534. The name Corpus Juris Civilis, meaning Body of Civil Law, was given by later editors rather than by Justinian own compilers. It became the foundation of the civil law legal tradition after its rediscovery and intensive study in medieval Europe, especially through the University of Bologna from the late eleventh century onward.