Initial D: Three Men before a Judge; Vidal Mayor, about 1290-1310. Additional Info:This section of the laws of Aragon, commissioned by King James I of Aragon and Catalonia, Spain, opens with a large initial. This letter D, almost unrecognizable to the modern eye because of the uncial script, is known as a historiated initial. Inside the initial's castlelike structure, three men stand before a crowned judge pleading their cases. The scene may represent one of the frivolous lawsuits discussed in the text below.

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Photo credit: © Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
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