The Publications of the Professors of Zamość Academy on Roman Law in the Eighteenth Century

The article by Marzena Dyjakowska examines the publications on Roman law produced by the professors of Zamość Academy in the eighteenth century and situates them within the broader intellectual and institutional history of the Academy. Although Roman law had been central to the Academy’s curriculum since its founding in 1594, the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries saw a decline in scholarly output due to financial instability, war, and difficulties in appointing qualified legal scholars. A revival began around 1760, when Roman law regained importance in Polish legal culture amid broader Enlightenment‑era reforms. Dyjakowska provides detailed analyses of several key sources: the extensive lecture manuscript of Rev. Wawrzyniec Józef Złoba, representing one of the earliest Polish Roman‑law handbooks; printed doctoral theses from the 1770s, which reveal the structure and level of legal training; and Rev. Walenty Maciej Tepper’s 1779 treatise on intestate succession, which integrates Roman, Austrian, and Polish law. These works demonstrate both fidelity to Justinianic tradition and the influence of medieval and early‑modern ius commune. The study concludes that, despite political and economic challenges, Zamość Academy maintained a respectable scholarly level in Roman‑law studies and served as a significant centre of legal education in eastern Poland until its dissolution in 1784.