The issue of joint wills in Roman law
Abstract
This article discusses the issue of joint wills, which are to be understood as wills whose content includes the disposals in the event of the death of more than one testator. The principle of testamentary freedom adopted in Roman law led to the rejection of the institution of joint wills. Nor does it appear that the possibility for spouses to prepare joint wills, as offered by the constitution of Emperor Valentinian III in 446, and the facilities in terms of form and content of soldier wills provide a basis for the unequivocal conclusion that judicial practice over the centuries has exceptionally permitted such wills.
Keywords:
testamentum, testamentum simultaneum, mutual will, Roman lawReferences
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