Henry James Sumner Maine
Henry James Sumner Maine
Sir Henry James Sumner Maine, KCSI, was a British comparative jurist and historian. He is famous for the thesis outlined in his book Ancient Law that law and society developed "from status to contract." According to the thesis, in the ancient world individuals were tightly bound by status to traditional groups, while in the modern one, in which individuals are viewed as autonomous agents, they are free to make contracts and form associations with whomever they choose. Because of this...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionHistorian
Date of Birth15 August 1822
Henry James Sumner Maine quotes about
I need hardly say that the publication of the Twelve Tables is not the earliest point at which we can take up the history of law.
The Roman jurisprudence has the longest known history of any set of human institutions.