Bernhard Windscheid

Who was Bernhard Windscheid?

Bernhard Windscheid was a German jurist and a member of the pandectistic school of law thought. He became famous with his essay on the legal concept of action, which sparkled a debate with Theodor Muther that is said to have initiated the studies of the processal law as we know it today.

Windscheid's thesis established the modern German law concept of Anspruch, distinguishing it from the Roman law concept of actio. His principal work was his Lehrbuch des Pandektenrechts, and this was the main source of inspiration for the German Civil Code BGB. Between 1873 and 1883, Windscheid took part in the commission in charge of the drafting of the German Civil Code.

Additionally, Windschied worked as a teacher at several universities in Germany and Switzerland, including Basel, Greifswald, München, Heidelberg, and Leipzig.