Cáin Adomnáin: An Early Medieval Treatise on Old Irish Canon and Secular Law

Abstract

For the first time in Russian, a complete translation of Cáin Adomnáin (the Law of Adomnán), a remarkable specimen of ancient Irish canon and secular law from the seventh century, is published. It was adopted with the aim of protecting women, children, and clergy from military violence - that is, those categories of the population that, in accordance with the norms of modern international humanitarian law, fall under the definition of “noncombatants”. The text is provided with an introductory article and comments. The study of this legal source will contribute to the further expansion and deepening of ideas about the chronological framework and features of the genesis of early Irish canonical and secular law, as well as the formation of international law in the Middle Ages.