Stillding

ancient German law

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July 14, 2026

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The term "Stillding" refers to a secret assembly within the medieval German legal system, specifically associated with the fehmic courts of Westphalia. Unlike the "offenes Ding" (open assembly), the Stillding was attended only by the judge, aldermen (Schöffen), and the parties involved in a case. These secret sessions became the predominant form of court by 1500, though the fehmic courts, including the Stillding, eventually declined due to their secrecy, severity, and conflicts with territorial princes. The word "still" itself, in its earliest use, meant devoid of motion or quiet.12

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fehmic court
…and ordinary misdemeanours; and the Stillding, or secret assembly, attended only by the judge, the Schöffen (aldermen), and parties to the case. The Stillding had entirely superseded the offenes Ding by 1500. After 1422 royal authority in Westphalia was supposedly delegated to the archbishop of Cologne, but the fehmic courts…
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…and ordinary misdemeanours; and the Stillding, or secret assembly, attended only by the judge, the Schöffen (aldermen), and parties to the case. The Stillding had entirely superseded the offenes Ding by 1500. After 1422 royal authority in Westphalia was supposedly delegated to the archbishop of Cologne, but the fehmic courts…
Read More