Torre della Garisenda  and Torre degli Asinelli
Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
, Early Twelfth Century

The Rebirth of Roman Law

Pepo (1075) 
Irnerius (ca. 1100-1125)

Emperor Justinian's Codification of Roman Law: Digest, Codex, Institutes 529-534 AD = Corpus iuris civilis

1.  Roman law began to influence and shape secular and canon law circa 1120-1140. 

2.  From the start Roman law was not simply or only incorporated into  non-Roman law texts;  jurists adapted Roman law institutions, concepts and principles to the needs of local communities.

3. Roman law became a "practical science" and a source of legal principles in canon law and secular legal systems.

4. The Priesterseminar contained all the texts of the Roman Corpus iuris civilis and many commentaries.