The research is aimed at the reception of canon law and Roman law in the medieval Frisian law of the 15th century. In the Middle Ages Frisia had an autonomous tradition of indigenous law, characterized by a strong continuity. From the beginning of the 12th century Frisian monks set off for the newly established universities of Paris and Bologna to study law. From around 1400 the influence of learned law increased considerably.  A text tradition emerged, that of the Excerpta Legum or Jurisprudentia Frisica, which fused together elements of indigenous Frisian law and learned law. The investigations of the PhD student will focus on this text tradition. How did this tradition come into being? Which were the sources used? Which concepts were problematic in the dialectical encounter of indigenous and learned law? To what extent was this tradition 
 
Your duties
The main task of the PhD-student will be to conduct investigations within the research project The Impact of Canon and Roman Law in Frisia: Continuity or Discontinuity?, resulting in a PhD thesis.  

• A Master Degree in Law and/or History;
• Demonstrable affinity with legal historical research;
• Sound knowledge of Latin;
• Knowledge of Old Frisian or willingness to amess this knowledge within the first year of appointment;
• Capability of reading secondary literature in Dutch; 
• Readiness to perform part of the investigations at the Fryske Akademy in Leeuwarden;
• Demonstrable good writing skills;
• Good analytical skills.

The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts from € 2,267.00 gross per month during the first year and increases to € 2,897.00 gross per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment.
 
The appointment will initially be for one year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a total duration of 4 years.
 
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:
• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• considerable employer’s contribution to the ABP pension scheme
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. And to be a university where personal education and societal involvement play a leading role. Where people from different disciplines and backgrounds work together on innovations and on generating new knowledge. Our teaching and research embrace the whole spectrum of science – from the humanities, the social sciences and the pure sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.
 
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 23,000 students. We employ more than 4,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
Diversity is one of our university’s core values. We are an inclusive community, and we believe that diversity and international activities enhance the quality of education and research. We are always looking for people who can enhance diversity on our campus thanks to their background and experience.

The Faculty of Law provides bachelor’s degree programmes in three main fields: Law, Notarial law and Criminology. In addition, we offer an extensive range of Master’s programmes as well as contract education. Our teaching and research focus on the social function and relevance of law: from contracts in the platform economy to the new way of working, from colonial injustice to medical liability, from family reunification to civil participation, from sex offenses to ransomware. Our research is often both international and multidisciplinary in character.
 
Working at the Faculty of Law means being engaged in an active and inspiring academic setting. Together with your colleagues, you will contribute to the quality of teaching and research in a challenging and rewarding working environment. More than 300 people work at the Faculty of Law, which is home to some 3,000 students.
 
The Department of Legal Theory & Legal History, section Legal History, is looking for a PhD researcher. The Department offers an active and stirring working environment for both teaching and researching. The Department sets great store by the quality of its achievements and a pleasant and fruitful work climate. The section Legal History is responsible for the teaching of legal historical courses within the studies of law, notarial law and criminology. The investigations of the section are embedded in the programme ‘Public and private interests in financial and corporate law’ of the Kooijmans Institute, more specifically the sub-program ‘Legal certainty’.