First and foremost, I am grateful and thankful to Prof. Aniceto Masferrer, who supported and guided me with kindness and patience during my doctoral research on the subject. This work only exists thanks to him, and his expertise has been invaluable. This research was conducted thanks to his support and the support of the Faculty of Law of the Universitat de València.
The writing process for this book, turning my doctoral thesis into a manuscript, was conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt am Main. The environment was perfect, and the result of this project is a combination of the generosity and dedication of many people. I particularly would like to thank Prof. Stefan Vogenauer for his advice during this process.
The contents of this book have been presented at various stages at several conferences throughout the years, each helping to add new depths to this work. During my doctoral years, I also had the privilege to be hosted as a visiting research scholar at the University of Michigan Law School. In addition to granting me access to their library filled with the sources and materials I required, the scholarly community there was instrumental in the development of my research. I especially would like to thank Prof. William J. Novak and Prof. Thomas A. Green for all the time they dedicated to me and my work. I also would like to express my thankfulness and appreciation to all the people and institutions I had the privilege to be part of—under various affiliations—during my Ph.D. for their invaluable assistance during this long process.
I am indebted to the defense committee of my Ph.D., consisting of Prof. María Magdalena Martínez Almira, Prof. Jean-Louis Halpérin, Dr. Juan B. Cañizares Navarro, Dr. Luisa Stella Coutinho Silva, Prof. Gabriela Cobo del Rosal Pérez, and Prof. Javier Plaza Penadés, who provided valuable insights on my work.
I am thankful to all of my colleagues and friends from places all over the globe who generously shared their time and knowledge, assistance, encouragement, support, and advice. This project would not exist without all of you. I also would like to thank Teresa and Grigorij for all their help in sharpening my writing and for spending countless hours proofreading the different versions of this work.
My appreciation also goes to the anonymous reviewers and the editors of the Studies in Legal History series, who, with their insights and feedback, aided in improving this book. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to the amazing editorial team at Brill.