Doctor of both laws

A doctorate in both civil law and canon law, traditionally awarded by European universities to scholars trained in both legal systems.

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Civil law: A legal system derived chiefly from Roman law and organized around comprehensive written codes. One of the two legal disciplines certified by the degree.
University of Bologna: A university founded in the eleventh century and renowned for its medieval study of law. Bologna became a leading center for teaching civil and canon law.
Ecclesiastical court: A tribunal that adjudicates matters under the law of a religious institution. Canon-law expertise qualified graduates for service in church tribunals.
Doctor of civil law: An academic doctorate in civil law, awarded by universities under differing national traditions. It covers civil law alone rather than the paired disciplines of this degree.
Canon law: The law governing the organization and practice of a religious community, especially the Catholic Church. The ecclesiastical legal discipline paired with civil law.
Medieval university: A European institution of higher learning that developed during the Middle Ages. The degree took shape within this institution’s faculty and credential system.
Rota Romana: The Catholic Church’s appellate tribunal and one of its highest judicial bodies. Its judges and advocates draw on advanced canon-law training.
Doctor of canon law: An academic doctorate specializing in the law of a religious institution, especially the Catholic Church. It confers advanced expertise in canon law without requiring civil-law study.
Roman law: The legal system developed in ancient Rome and preserved through later European legal traditions. Its doctrines underpin much of the civil-law study associated with the degree.
Glossators: Medieval scholars who explained Roman legal texts by adding marginal and interlinear annotations. Their teaching helped establish Roman law as a university discipline.