Germanic Law Vs. Roman Law

Germanic Law vs. Roman Law
The Roman law was very different from the Germanic law because it was more inhuman. Roman law was based upon reason and evidence, while the Germanic law was based on blood, family, and revenge so there was not any logic or reason involved. The Germanic law was inhumane because people were put through a test, which meant that losing proved guilt and winning proved innocence. This was wrong because a person could lose without it meaning that they were guilty. The Roman law was more humane because when accused, a person was innocent until proven guilty with the use of evidence. This was much better because someone would not have to put themselves through rigorous, deadly, and painful test just to prove their innocence. …show more content…
If the accused sank it meant that they were accepted by the water and were innocent. This also meant that they may or may not survive depending on how fast they were pulled up by the rope they would normally have tied around their waist. This ordeal was done on people accused of being a witch and they believed that the water rejected them because witches rejected the sacrament of baptism (Ancient Origins). This shows that although inhumane they had a way to retrieve the assumed innocent when they sank. In the ordeal of the cross, suspects were to stand with arms spread out at the sides, in the position of a cross, and the first to lower his or her hand were …show more content…
The law of the Twelve Tables was the first codification of Roman law and it was written on twelve tablets and placed in the Roman Forum for everyone to read. This law only applied to citizens. It was written as a way to stop people from breaking the law. It marked the first noteworthy concession to the Plebeians. After the law of the Twelve Tables, the ius gentium also called jus gentium which meant the law of nations or law of peoples, was formed. It was developed as a way to put an end to the disputes between citizens and non-citizens who lived there, but the ius civile which meant civil law, did not apply to (The Robbins Collection). This shows that they cared about the people staying in their territories enough to make adjustments to the law code in order to avoid