Legal Definitions - inlagation

Inlagation is a historical legal term that refers to the act of restoring an individual who had been declared an "outlaw" back to the protection and rights afforded by the law.

In historical legal systems, particularly in medieval England, an outlaw was someone who had been deprived of all legal rights and protections, often for failing to appear in court or for committing serious crimes. Such individuals could be hunted, killed, and their property seized without legal recourse. Inlagation was the formal process by which an outlaw regained their legal standing, allowing them to participate in society under the rule of law once more.

• Example 1: Reinstatement of a Merchant

  Imagine a merchant in 14th-century England who, due to a clerical error or a missed summons, failed to appear in court for a minor debt dispute. As a result, he was declared an outlaw. Years later, having resolved the underlying debt and proven his intent to comply with legal processes, he successfully petitions the king's court to have his outlawry reversed. The formal decree granting his petition, which restores his right to own property, sue others, and be protected by the law, would be an act of inlagation.

  This example illustrates inlagation because the merchant, previously stripped of legal rights and protections, is formally brought back under the law's jurisdiction and granted his legal standing once more.

• Example 2: A Royal Pardon for a Rebel

  Consider a nobleman in the 12th century who was declared an outlaw for participating in a rebellion against the crown. He fled the kingdom, living for years without legal recognition or protection. After a new monarch ascends the throne and, seeking to unify the realm, offers a general pardon to certain former rebels, provided they swear fealty and pay a substantial fine. When this nobleman accepts the terms and is formally readmitted to the legal system, regaining his ancestral lands and legal standing, this entire process is an example of inlagation.

  Here, inlagation occurs as the nobleman, once outside the law's protection due to a serious political offense, is formally restored to legal standing and rights through a royal decree.

• Example 3: Clearing a Misunderstanding

  A peasant in the 13th century might have been mistakenly declared an outlaw after being wrongly accused of theft and failing to appear in court because he was unaware of the summons. Upon discovering his outlaw status, he gathers witnesses and evidence to prove his innocence and demonstrate that he was not intentionally evading justice. If the court accepts his plea and formally revokes his outlawry, allowing him to live and work under the law's protection once more, this act would be inlagation.

  This example shows inlagation as the peasant, through a legal process, regains the protection and rights of the law after his outlaw status, even if mistakenly applied, is formally lifted.