CONFERENCE - APPEARANCE AND SPREAD OF THE SOUTHERN NOTARIAT IN THE MIDDLE AGES

French notariat emerged in the 12th century under the direct influence of the Italian example. It took the place of ancient practices for validating private acts that had developed since the Late Roman Empire. Thus, it truly emerged in the last quarter of the 12th century in Languedoc – and more specifically in Lower Languedoc – and in Provence, stemming from an earlier process that saw the development of legal writing based on the Italian model. This legal innovation would have a lasting impact on both the institutional organization of Languedoc and all of France, as well as on the daily lives of its inhabitants.

Sylvie Desachy is the general curator of heritage, director of heritage and the departmental archives of Hérault. She has notably contributed to the collective work "History of Notaries in France. A Thousand Years at the Heart of Society", Paris, Tallandier, 2026.

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