Common Informing as an Instrument of Government? Participation in Law Enforcement and the English State, c. 1558-1625 (working title)
Dissertationsprojekt von Christine Gerwin
Betreuer: Prof. Dr. Hannes Ziegler
The project seeks to examine the legal practice of common informing in terms of its political implications for the rule of Elizabeth I and James VI and I. Common informing allowed individuals who were not themselves affected by an offence to sue in the name of the Crown and on their own behalf, thereby claiming part of the forfeiture. Despite the risks of abuse and contemporary criticism, informing remained a means of law enforcement as well as of creating and upholding the Crown’s authority during the 16th and early 17th century. Research on political participation has often marginalised or omitted informers as they were not officeholders. I would like to argue, however, that informers were an integral part of rulership. My research thus aims to re-examine the relationship between authority and participation and to contribute to a deeper understanding of late Tudor/early Stuart politics.