Legal Definitions - breve

A breve was a historical legal document, essentially a short, formal written command or instruction issued by a sovereign (like a king) or a court. Unlike more extensive legal documents such as charters, a breve was characterized by its brevity and directness, typically ordering a specific action or summoning an individual for a particular purpose.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a breve:

• Summons for a Minor Dispute: Imagine a medieval village where two neighbors had a minor disagreement over a shared fence line. Instead of a lengthy legal process, a local lord might issue a breve to his bailiff. This breve would be a concise written order, perhaps just a few sentences, instructing the bailiff to summon both neighbors to the lord's court on a specific date to resolve the matter. This demonstrates a breve as a brief, direct command for a specific, often straightforward, legal action.

• Administrative Order for Local Officials: In historical governance, a king might need quick information or action from a local official. For instance, if the king required a swift accounting of a specific, small tax collection from a particular town, he could issue a breve to the local sheriff. This breve would be a brief, formal instruction to gather the specific figures and report back within a short timeframe, highlighting its use as a concise administrative directive rather than a detailed legislative act.

• Temporary Seizure of Property: Consider a scenario where a court needed to temporarily secure a small item of value involved in a dispute to prevent it from being moved or damaged before a full hearing. The court might issue a breve to a local constable. This breve would be a short, precise order to take custody of that specific item and hold it until further notice. This illustrates a breve as a focused legal instrument for immediate, limited intervention.