Definition
A Latin term appearing in old European feudal law, meaning "touching" — specifically in the phrase *turis evangeliis* or the fuller construction *sacrosanctis evangeliis tactis*, meaning "touching the holy Scriptures" or "touching the sacred Gospels." The term describes the physical act of placing one's hand on the Gospels as part of a solemn oath ceremony, conferring binding legal and religious force upon a sworn statement or obligation. In feudal practice, the oath taken while physically touching the Scriptures was considered the most solemn form of attestation available.
Common Confusion
TURIS vs. IURIS / JURIS: The visual and phonetic similarity between *turis* and *iuris* (genitive of *ius*, meaning "of law" or "of right") creates a real risk of misreading in manuscript and early printed sources. *Iuris* is among the most common Latin legal terms and appears throughout Roman and common law materials. *Turis* is a narrow, formulaic term confined to oath-taking contexts. In any source document, context will clarify which term appears, but researchers transcribing or translating from manuscript should verify carefully.
Why It Matters in Research
This term is encountered almost exclusively in medieval European feudal sources and will not appear in common law materials or modern legal texts. Researchers working with the Libri Feudorum (the Lombard feudal law compilation) or related Continental sources may encounter the term as part of formulaic oath language. The phrase *sacrosanctis evangeliis tactis* — sworn upon the holy Gospels — is a ritualized legal formula that recurs across feudal instruments, investiture ceremonies, and vassal oaths. Understanding *turis* as the operative word for the physical act of touching anchors the legal significance of the surrounding formula: the touch itself was the legally constitutive act, not merely a ceremonial gesture.
Researchers should note that Burrill cites to the Feudal Libri (Feud. Lib. 2, tit. 2) and the Justinianic Code (Cod. 3.1.14, § 1), placing this term within two distinct but overlapping traditions — Roman law as it survived into medieval practice and the customary feudal law of northern Italy and the Frankish successor states. The Justinianic citation reflects how the late Roman legal tradition formalized oath-taking procedure, while the Feudal Libri represents the customary elaboration of that practice in the medieval period.
Because this term appears in Latin formulae embedded within older European legal instruments, a researcher who encounters it without context may mistake it for a variant of *juris* (of law) or *iuris* — a visually similar and far more common Latin legal term. The two words are unrelated and the confusion, while understandable, would significantly distort interpretation of the source document.
Historical Dictionary Support
Burrill's Law Dictionary provides the only coverage of this term among the shelf sources, and its entry is appropriately brief: the term functions as a component of formulaic phrase rather than as a standalone legal concept with doctrine built around it. Burrill correctly identifies the feudal and Roman law contexts and supplies the key citations. The historical dictionaries of English common law (Black's, Bouvier) do not cover this term, which is consistent with its strictly Continental application. Researchers should not expect to find *turis* or the fuller *evangeliis tactis* formula in English-language legal materials, whether historical or modern.
The Justinianic Code citation (Cod. 3.1.14) addresses judicial proceedings and oath requirements — a passage in which the formalization of oaths before tribunals is addressed. The Libri Feudorum citation anchors the term in the specific ceremonial context of feudal investiture and oath-taking between lord and vassal, where the solemnity of the sworn obligation was foundational to the legal relationship.
Jurisdictional Note
This term has no application in Anglo-American common law and is not operative in any modern legal system. Its relevance is confined to Continental European legal history, particularly sources drawing on Lombard feudal custom and Justinianic Roman law as received and modified during the medieval period.