The Enactment of the Livre au Roi: A Chronological Inquiry

The Livre au roi is the oldest of all the treatises that make up the Assizes of Jerusalem. The enactment of this codification was associated with the reign of King Amalric of Lusignan. The subject of research in this paper is an attempt to determine the moment of its adoption more precisely. Firstly, the legal features of the Livre au roi are pointed out. Then, it is indicated to the conflict between King Amalric and Ralph of Tiberias, which had a decisive influence on the enactment and on the content of this codification. Finally, the moment of the Livre au roi’s enactment is sharpened by pointing the peace treaties which King Amalric concluded with Sultan Al-Malik Al-Adil and the provisions of the codification which regulated the regency. The Livre au roi could have been enacted in 1200, 1204, or it was created in both of the mentioned years.