If some of the legal topoi discussed in chapter two remain relatively localized, a much more common legal problem that crops up in the Confessio Amantis is the subject of the present chapter: the question of jurisdiction. The aspect of jurisdiction I am most concerned with is the ruler's sovereignty over his own subjects and his power in relation to the law. In the Confessio, these aspects of the ruler's jurisdiction are frequently put to the test in relation to what we might provisionally call “international law.”

For Gower, the area of international law covers and addresses the supranational conflicts between king, pope, and emperor. These conflicts pose a range of questions for debate. For instance, what are the grounds for a ruler's authority? When can a ruler be deposed or extradited, and how? Does one law supersede another and in what circumstances? These are the types of questions that can properly be considered under the rubric of jurisdiction and sovereignty, and these are questions that the Confessio asks persistently.

At the same time, the issue of jurisdiction cannot be treated in isolation from the larger themes of the Confessio: social division, love, sin, confession, and so on. The law is more than a passing curiosity. It is instead remarkably well integrated into the thematic structures of the Confessio. This is particularly evident in Book 2, where jealousy in love becomes conflated with coveting the sovereign rule of another. Law and love turn out to be inseparable concepts.