lægningen

Lægningen is a term that appears in historical Danish legal texts and refers to the act of laying down or establishing a law or regulation. It is closely related to the concept of promulgation, the formal announcement of a new law, making it official and binding. The term suggests the deliberate and authoritative process by which a ruler or governing body would introduce new rules into the legal system.

The act of lægning implied a formal decision and its subsequent recording and dissemination. In medieval and early modern Denmark, this often involved the king or the Thing (a legislative assembly) playing a role. The specifics of how lægningen was carried out would vary depending on the period and the nature of the law being enacted. It was a crucial step in the development of Danish law, marking the transition from deliberation and proposal to established legal practice.

Understanding lægningen provides insight into the mechanisms of governance and law-making in historical Denmark. It highlights the importance placed on the formalization and communication of legal statutes to ensure their recognition and enforcement throughout the realm. The term is primarily found in scholarly analysis of historical legal documents.