Otto von Gierke

Otto Friedrich von Gierke (January 11 1841 – October 10 1921) was a German historian and philosopher of law. He was born in Stettin, at that time in Prussia, and died in Berlin.

He specialised in the study of the German antecedents of German law . His view of the Rechtsstaat (state on a legal basis), and his emphasis on the federal nature of medieval states, became important and debated. He stood as an opponent of the trend of civil law interpretation and theorising.

Abroad he was a major influence on the British historian of law F. W. Maitland, who translated as Political Theories of the Middle Ages some of Gierke's major works, and on John Neville Figgis.

External Links

• Brian Caplan: Otto von Gierke