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Salic law

early 6th century · 6th century · Also known as Pactus Legis Salicae, Lex Salica

The Salic law, or Pactus Legis Salicae, is the law code of the Salian Franks, probably first issued under Clovis I in the early 6th century. Written in Latin, it consists mainly of fines, including the wergild owed for killing free Franks, Romans and the half-free. A clause excluding women from inheriting land was cited from the 14th century to bar women from the French throne.

Salic law
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Mentioned in 2 profiles

FranksSocioeconomyKingdom of the FranksGovernance

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Salian FranksKingdom of Hanover

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Salic law. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salic-law
MLA
“Salic law.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salic-law. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Salic law.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salic-law.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Salic law’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salic-law (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻