By far Frederick's long lasting achievement was in law reform. No sooner had he come to the throne, the King abolished most types of torture and the cruel forms of execution of the. However, the death penalty was still exercised and there were reports of suspects being killed without trial. He encouraged Cocceji, one of his ministers, to continue his task to codify the law. Judges had to undergo training and exams to avoid corruption and miscarriages of justice.
However, nobles still had their own laws and powers over the serfs. The upper class also dominated the legal profession, which put them in strong positions. Frederick even chose to ignore the rules of his own legal system on occasions. Nevertheless, Prussia had one of the fairest and most efficient legal systems in Europe, complying with the ideas of the Enlightened thinkers. Indeed, the system remained almost the same until 1900.
However, nobles still had their own laws and powers over the serfs. The upper class also dominated the legal profession, which put them in strong positions. Frederick even chose to ignore the rules of his own legal system on occasions. Nevertheless, Prussia had one of the fairest and most efficient legal systems in Europe, complying with the ideas of the Enlightened thinkers. Indeed, the system remained almost the same until 1900.
