Legal Definitions - latrocinium

Latrocinium is a historical legal term originating from Latin, primarily referring to three distinct but related concepts concerning theft and robbery.

• The act of robbery or theft itself. This meaning refers to the criminal act of taking property from another person by force or threat.
• Something stolen. In this context, latrocinium refers to the actual goods or property that have been unlawfully taken.
• The right to judge and execute thieves. This meaning denotes a specific legal authority or jurisdiction, often held by powerful lords or rulers in historical contexts, to apprehend, try, and punish individuals accused of serious theft, including the power of capital punishment.

Here are some examples illustrating these historical meanings:

• Example 1 (The act of robbery): In a medieval chronicle describing the dangers of travel, a passage might recount how a group of bandits ambushed a royal tax collector on a remote road, forcibly seizing the collected silver. This violent seizure of property would have been historically referred to as latrocinium.

  Explanation: This example illustrates latrocinium as the criminal act of robbery, where goods are taken by force or threat, emphasizing the unlawful action itself.

• Example 2 (Something stolen): After a Viking raid on a coastal monastery, the gold chalices, illuminated manuscripts, and other valuable artifacts carried away by the raiders would collectively be considered latrocinium. These were the specific items that were unlawfully plundered.

  Explanation: Here, latrocinium refers to the physical property that has been stolen, highlighting the object of the crime rather than the act itself.

• Example 3 (The right to judge and execute thieves): A powerful feudal lord, granted extensive judicial powers by the king, might have possessed the specific right to establish a court, try individuals accused of highway robbery within his lands, and, if found guilty, order their execution. This jurisdictional power to administer justice for theft and robbery was historically known as latrocinium.

  Explanation: This demonstrates latrocinium as a specific legal authority or privilege, granting a lord the power to administer justice, including capital punishment, for acts of robbery and theft within their domain.