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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §38.11.1.pr-38.11.1.1

Possession of Goods by Spouses and Lawful Marriage

Passage 6059 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian explains the necessity of a lawful marriage for claiming the possession of goods on the basis of husband and wife, and details the legal consequences of a factual divorce despite the formal continuation of marriage, with reference to specific statutory cases.

[ULPIANUS libro quadragensimo septimo ad edictum. ] §38.11.1.prUt bonorum possessio peti possit unde uir et uxor, iustum esse matrimonium oportet.
[ULPIANUS, from the forty-seventh book on the Edict.] In order that the possession of goods can be claimed on the ground of husband and wife, the marriage must be lawful.
ceterum si iniustum fuerit matrimonium, nequaquam bonorum possessio peti poterit, quemadmodum nec ex testamento adiri hereditas uel secundum tabulas peti bonorum possessio potest: nihil enim capi propter iniustum matrimonium potest.
Otherwise, if the marriage is unlawful, the possession of goods can by no means be claimed, just as neither an inheritance can be entered upon under a will, nor the possession of goods be claimed in accordance with the tablets (of the will): for nothing can be acquired on account of an unlawful marriage.
§38.11.1.1Ut autem haec bonorum possessio locum habeat, uxorem esse oportet mortis tempore.
Moreover, in order for this possession of goods to take place, she must be a wife at the time of death.
sed si diuortium quidem secutum sit, uerumtamen iure durat matrimonium, haec successio locum non habet.
But if a divorce has indeed followed, but nevertheless the marriage lasts in law, this succession does not take place.
hoc autem in huiusmodi speciebus procedit.
And this applies in cases of this kind.
liberta ab inuito patrono diuortit: lex Iulia de maritandis ordinibus retinet istam in matrimonio, dum eam prohiberet alii nubere inuito patrono.
A freedwoman divorces her patron against his will: the lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus retains her in marriage, as long as it prohibits her from marrying another against her patron's will.
item Iulia de adulteriis, nisi certo modo diuortium factum sit, pro infecto habet.
Likewise, the lex Julia de adulteriis, unless the divorce has been made in a certain manner, regards it as not having taken place.

Notes

  1. §38.11.1.prunde uir et uxor — A technical term designating a specific class of possession of goods (bonorum possessio) in the Edict. It incorporates the relative adverb 'unde' (from where), meaning 'from [the class of] husband and wife.'
  2. §38.11.1.1diuortium quidem secutum sit, uerumtamen iure durat matrimonium — This concessive contrast (quidem... uerumtamen) describes a seemingly contradictory situation where a divorce has occurred de facto (diuortium quidem secutum sit) but the marriage legally persists (iure durat matrimonium). Because the factual divorce has destroyed the marital intent (affectio maritalis), the succession based on the category of husband and wife (haec successio) does not apply even though the marriage legally remains.
  3. §38.11.1.1dum eam prohiberet alii nubere inuito patrono — The conjunction `dum` with the imperfect subjunctive `prohiberet` expresses duration or condition ('as long as'). The subjunctive is in the imperfect tense due to the sequence of tenses governed by the historical present `retinet` in the main clause. `inuito patrono` is an ablative absolute ('the patron being unwilling').
  4. §38.11.1.1pro infecto habet — The idiomatic phrase `pro infecto habere` means 'to regard as not having been done' or 'to treat as null and void.' `infectus` is the negative form of `factus` (done, accomplished).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §38.11.1.pr-38.11.1.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:38.11.1.pr-38.11.1.1

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