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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §38.8.4.pr

Possession of Goods of an Illegitimate Child Intestate

Passage 6034 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian explains that if an illegitimate child dies intestate, no paternal inheritance occurs under civil law, but the mother or a maternal brother can petition for the possession of goods on the ground of proximity.

[ULPIANUS libro sexto regularum. ] §38.8.4.prSi spurius intestato decesserit, iure consanguinitatis aut adgnationis hereditas eius ad nullum pertinet, quia consanguinitatis, itemque adgnationis iura a patre oriuntur: proximitatis autem nomine mater eius aut frater eadem matre natus bonorum possessionem eius ex edicto petere potest.
[ULPIAN on the Rules, book six.] If a child born out of wedlock dies intestate, his inheritance belongs to no one by right of consanguinity or of agnation, because the rights of consanguinity and likewise of agnation originate from the father; however, on the ground of proximity, his mother or a brother born of the same mother can petition for the possession of his goods in accordance with the edict.

Notes

  1. §38.8.4.prspurius — An illegitimate child or a child without a legal father. In Roman law, a spurius has no legal father (pater); therefore, no rights of agnation (adgnatio) or consanguinity (consanguinitas) arise, resulting in no civil law heirs from the paternal side.
  2. §38.8.4.preadem matre natus — The perfect participle natus modifies frater, accompanied by the ablative of origin eadem matre. This refers to a uterine brother (a brother born of the same mother but not the same father, or in this case, born to a spurius).
  3. §38.8.4.prbonorum possessionem ... petere potest — This refers to the remedy under praetorian law (ius honorarium) where the praetor, based on his edict (edicto), allows those who cannot claim civil law inheritance (hereditas) — such as cognates — to petition for the "possession of goods" (bonorum possessio).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §38.8.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:38.8.4.pr

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