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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §10.2.1.pr-10.2.1.1

Origin of the Action to Divide an Inheritance and Disputes on Coheirship

Passage 1638 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The author explains that the action for partition of an inheritance originates from the Twelve Tables, and outlines how the action and its exceptions function among coheirs depending on their possession of property and potential disputes over coheirship.

[GAIUS libro septimo ad edictum prouinciale. ] §10.2.1.prHaec actio proficiscitur e lege duodecim tabularum: namque coheredibus uolentibus a communione discedere necessarium uidebatur aliquam actionem constitui, qua inter eos res hereditariae distribuerentur.
[GAIUS, on the Provincial Edict, book 7] This action originates from the Law of the Twelve Tables; for, when coheirs wished to withdraw from co-ownership, it seemed necessary that some action should be established by which the inherited property might be distributed among them.
§10.2.1.1Quae quidem actio nihilo minus ei quoque ipso iure competit, qui suam partem non possidet: sed si is qui possidet neget eum sibi coheredem esse, potest eum excludere per hanc exceptionem 'si in ea re, qua de agitur, praeiudicium hereditati non fiat'. quod si possideat eam partem, licet negetur esse coheres, non nocet talis exceptio: quo fit, ut eo casu ipse iudex, apud quem hoc iudicium agitur, cognoscat, an coheres sit: nisi enim coheres sit, neque adiudicari quicquam ei oportet neque aduersarius ei condemnandus est.
This action, indeed, is nonetheless available by operation of law even to one who does not possess his own share; but if the one who possesses should deny that the other is his coheir, he can exclude him by means of this exception: 'provided that in the matter in question, no prejudice is done to the inheritance.' On the other hand, if he should possess that share, even though it is denied that he is a coheir, such an exception is not harmful; whence it happens that in that case the judge himself, before whom this trial is conducted, investigates whether he is a coheir; for unless he is a coheir, neither ought anything to be adjudged to him, nor should his adversary be condemned to him.

Notes

  1. 10.2.1.prcoheredibus uolentibus — An ablative absolute (noun + participle) with the present participle uolentibus, expressing temporal or causal meaning ('when/since the coheirs wished').
  2. 10.2.1.praliquam actionem constitui — An accusative with infinitive clause consisting of the passive infinitive constitui and its subject accusative aliquam actionem, functioning as the subject of the impersonal expression necessarium uidebatur ('it seemed necessary').
  3. 10.2.1.1licet negetur — The conjunction licet ('although', 'granted that') takes the subjunctive (third-person singular present passive negetur) to introduce a concessive clause, with the infinitive phrase esse coheres acting as the subject of negetur.
  4. 10.2.1.1quo fit, ut — The neuter ablative of the connecting relative pronoun quo ('whereby', 'as a result of which') is followed by a noun clause of result introduced by ut with the subjunctive (cognoscat), functioning as the subject of the impersonal verb fit ('it happens that...').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §10.2.1.pr-10.2.1.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:10.2.1.pr-10.2.1.1

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