regiam majestatem
Regiam Majestatem (ree-jee-[schwa]m maj-[schwa]-stay-t[schwa]m). [Latin “the (books of the) Royal Majesty”] Scots law. An ancient collection of Scottish laws, so called from its opening words. • The four-book collection is generally believed to be genuine, although its origins are widely disputed. It was partly copied from Glanville’s treatise De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliae, as appears from the works’ similarities and the fact that the Glanville treatise opens with the words Regiam potestatem. It was at one time believed to have been compiled by David I, but this supposition is unfounded. Still others believed that Edward I was responsible for the compilation as part of his efforts to take over Scotland and assimilate the laws of that country and England, but modern scholars reject this view. It was probably compiled by an unknown cleric shortly before 1320.
