Legal Definitions - pares curtis

Term: pares curtis

Definition: Pares curtis means "peers of the court" in Law Latin. In the past, lords were judges over their vassals, and the vassals were required to attend their lord's court to provide justice to all tenants. The vassals were called pares curtis or pares curiae. They had to answer complaints against themselves and form a jury or homage for the trial of their fellow tenants. This term was used in feudal institutions in England and on the continent.