Francis of Assisi and the rise of modern market law

Sammendrag

Francis of Assisi changed the world by appreciating all creatures and honouring them as an enrichment to human society. He saw in everyone special abilities that made people complement each other in society. Francis recognized that everybody could use his own gifts, together with hard work and education, to promote social prosperity. However, the new, flourishing economy of medieval trade required that those who could not maintain themselves be supported through charitable projects. Once again the opposites complemented each other. Franciscans could not only advise merchants as confessors, but thanks to their vow of poverty, they escaped the logic of the economy and organized oases of charity. Francis influenced the understanding of law by emphasizing not only individual responsibility in the marketplace, but also freedom in law in general, with which subjective laws could be used to freely and responsibly shape society. The rich and the aristocratic could stimulate their economy and their society just as much as the poor, who could provide employers with the necessary workforce. The articles were written as a part of the project «Social Governance through Legis­lation» at Centre for Advanced Studies/ Senter for Grunnforskning (CAS) 2021/2022.