La responsabilite est le fondement de toute vie sociale, une evidence dont le droit ne saurait se passer. Son histoire se superpose a celle de l'homme et se nourrit de tous les mouvements de pensee qui ont concouru a l'elaboration de la Justice. Nous examinerons, en premier lieu, les apports fondamentaux du droit romain, qui signe l'abolition du systeme vindicatoire et instaure un regime de responsabilite individuelle. Nous detaillerons, ensuite, les conceptions franques, marquees par une mentalite tribale et une organisation sociale clanique. De la fin du Moyen Age a l'Ancien Regime, nous insisterons sur l'influence de la morale chretienne, et de la dimension transcendante qu'elle impose a la justice penale. Enfin, nous aborderons, avec le siecle des Lumieres, la reforme laique du droit penal, et, tout au long du XIX e siecle, l'emergence d'un pouvoir medical qui s'affirme progressivement comme auxiliaire de justice.
Law is based on the fact that responsibility is the foundation of all forms of social life. Echoing that of mankind, the history of responsibility has been enriched by all the schools of though which contributed to the elaboration of the notion of Justice. Firstly, we will examine the fundamental contribution of roman criminal law, which marked the end of the system of vindication installing in its place a regime of personal responsibility. We will then, focus on some concepts such as: tribal mentality and the organisation of society into clans, that came from the Franks. Covering the period that begins with the Middle Ages and streches through the Ancien Regime, authors emphasize the influence of christian morality, and the dimension of transcendence that this mentality imposed on criminal justice. Finally, they discuss the secular reform of criminal law which accompanied the 18th century and the emerging through the 19th century of a powerful medical science, witch progressively took on the status of actor in the judiciary system.