Histoire du tribunal secret

Metz, 1801. FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. Engraved frontispiece. Modern boards. Uncut and fresh. First separate edition, “the best work on the subject” (Caillet, tr). This book provides a comprehensive treatment of Vehmic (or Fehmic) courts, cruel and corrupt regional tribunals in Westphalia, Germany during the Middle Ages. These courts, which existed from the time of Charlemagne until their abolishment in 1811, were granted jurisdiction by the Holy Roman Emperor and had the power to sentence execution. Judges were members of a fraternal order initiated at underground ceremonies, and court proceedings were often held in secret; the only evidence that a trial had taken place would be the executed corpse hanging from a tree the next day. Common victims of the court were Jews, heretics, and witches.
This nonfiction account derives from an earlier novel by the same author. Vehmic courts have been the subject of numerous fictitious stories, including Sherlock Holmes, Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, and stories about the Illuminati by many authors.
Caillet 1262.