The emergence of a hierarchical judiciary
Hierarchical judiciary was established under James III. and divided the court system into city, province, fiefdom, and imperial levels. Citizens gained the ability to appeal to higher authorities according to clearly defined rules, thereby strengthening confidence in the law and unifying the judicial system of the empire.
Courts in a Growing Empire
With the development of cities, provinces and trade relations, the older court system became confusing. Different areas handled disputes differently, and residents often had no clear path to higher justice. Jakob III therefore, he supported the creation of a hierarchical judiciary that clearly established individual levels of decision-making.
City, province, country, empire
The new system divided judicial power into city, provincial, state-administrative and imperial levels. Each of them had clearly defined case types and appeal options. Residents could thus appeal from lower courts to higher ones if their dispute met the specified conditions. This made the judiciary more predictable and less dependent on the whims of one local ruler.
Law as an instrument of unity
The reform strengthened the unity of the empire as law began to operate according to a shared framework across regions. This was especially important at a time when the empire relied on a complex network of provinces, cities, and noble families. The hierarchical judiciary became one of the foundations of the later administration of the empire and contributed significantly to the image of the second golden age as a period of order and predictability.