Paul Koschaker (1879–1951)

The aim of this book is to investigate the life and work of Paul Koschaker (1879–1951), who was one of the most prominent legal historians in the first half of the 20th century. From the 1930s onwards, Koschaker is renowned for having attempted to reaffirm the authority of Roman law, which was experiencing a major crisis at German universities at the time, mainly due to the Nazi regime’s disdain for this subject. Above all, he sought to emphasise the role Roman law played as the cornerstone of European legal tradition, as was masterfully depicted in his book ‘Europa und das römische Recht’. Yet Koschaker also had many other areas of interest throughout his career, including cuneiform law and comparative legal history.

More specifically, this book attempts to provide the first comprehensive study of Koschaker’s biographical experiences, as well as his scientific and academic stances, which have come to light as a result of the discovery and analysis of numerous previously unpublished archival sources.