The
Vehmic courts, also known as the
Secret courts? of the Feme, or
Fehmgericht were secret tribunals that existed in
Germany from the end of the twelfth century to the middle of the sixteenth. Their
modus operandi represents a continuation of the Carolingian tradition. They are referenced in Sir [Walter Scott]
?'s gothic novel
Anne of Geierstein.
Their clandestine nature included initiation rituals and are thought to be an early precursor of the [Society of the Illuminati]? and, by extension, Freemasonry.