A commission of justiciary was a method of law enforcement employed in Scotland, in particular in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In an era when the practical reach of central government was limited, the issuing authority (generally the king) would issue a commission to a single individual or a number of individuals authorising and requiring him or them to take steps to deal with the particular problem with which the authority was concerned. The problem might consist in a particular crime, a particular criminal or criminals, or wider local disorder.
Read more about Commission Of Justiciary: Commission of Fire and Sword, Political Control, Witch-hunting
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