Legal Definitions - droit de bris

Droit de bris was a historical legal concept in medieval France, literally meaning the "right of a wreck." It granted coastal lords the authority to claim ownership over any property, including parts of a ship, its cargo, and even people, that washed ashore after a shipwreck within their territory. This practice was particularly prevalent in regions like Brittany but was eventually abolished in 1226 by Henry III.

Here are some examples illustrating how droit de bris would have been applied:

• Example 1: Claiming Valuable Cargo

  Imagine a merchant vessel carrying a precious cargo of silks and jewels from the Mediterranean sailing along the coast of Normandy in the early 13th century. A sudden, violent storm drives the ship onto rocks, causing it to break apart. Days later, chests filled with waterlogged silks and scattered gemstones begin to wash up on a beach controlled by a local baron. Under the principle of droit de bris, the baron would legally assert his right to claim all these valuable goods as his own property, despite them belonging to the original merchants or ship owners.

• Example 2: Asserting Rights Over Survivors and Their Possessions

  Consider a small fishing boat that capsizes off the coast of Brittany. Two fishermen manage to cling to a piece of wreckage and are eventually carried by the tide to a nearby shore. Though exhausted, they are alive and still possess a few personal items, such as a small pouch of coins and a family locket. According to the droit de bris, the lord of that coastal area could potentially claim these survivors and their remaining possessions as part of the "wreckage" that had come ashore, highlighting the controversial and harsh nature of this historical right.

• Example 3: Salvaging Ship Fragments for Personal Use

  A large trading cog, heavily laden with timber and iron, runs aground during a dense fog and is ultimately destroyed by the pounding waves. Over the subsequent weeks, large planks, the ship's mast, and various iron fittings drift onto the beaches of a ducal estate. The duke, exercising his droit de bris, would dispatch his servants to collect these valuable ship fragments. These materials would then be brought to his castle, where they could be repurposed for construction, sold for profit, or used to repair other vessels, all under the legal justification of his right to the wreck.