Search

This chapter adresses Cesare Beccaria’s life and work. The well-renowned jurist, philosopher, and economist is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern criminal law, as well as one of the most influential representatives of the Enlightenment. He contributed to the humanization of criminal law by attacking arbitrariness, abuses of power, and, above all, the death penalty and torture. Moreover, he strongly supported the reception of the legality and transparency principles in criminal law so that all citizens could be aware of the rules governing their conduct and foresee the consequences of unlawful behavior. The demand for his main work, Dei delitti e delle pene (1764), across three centuries is impressive; an approximate survey lists at least two hundred editions and translations throughout the world. Beccaria’s main work has influenced a great many thinkers, not simply jurists, until today.

This paper analyses 17th century Decisiones Rotae Romanae with focus on inheritance and testament. Given that there is a strong body of opinion that Roman Rota “facit communem opinionem”, that “Eorumque sententiae (id est Auditorum Rotae) appellantur decisiones Rotae quae tantae auctoritatis sunt, ut habeantur pro legibus apud omnes nationes subiectas”, this study investigates the contents of the decisiones as to this topic. Giambattista De Luca, author of the masterpiece Theatrum veritatis et justitiae, states that usually judges do not follow almost entirely shared common rules, but rather, based on the last will, consider the special circumstances of each case, so that they decide in a different way “pro diversitate locorum, temporum, personarum, et aliorum accidentium…”. The results of the investigation are that the Decisiones certainly follow more rationes than authoritates than in the past. They are also the mirror of a possible unification of a ius commune europaeum on last will, in a twist of legal science shared by the coeval respublica iureconsultorum and by their own jurisprudential guidelines, as well as by those of European Sovereign Courts. The strict execution of the will of the deceased is a repeated dogma.

The paper follows the evolution of juridical “adoption”, in particular with regard to italian area, from the Early Middle Ages to the 19th century, the age of Codification, and its use over time according to the society’s needs. Some scholarship works and documents dating back to the high Middle Ages show adoption sparsely dealt with—in part consistently with Roman law and in part following the trail of the Franc and Longobard law—in which the aim was to ensure the possibility to have a son to whomever lacked one (imitatio naturae) or to choose a specific heir. In the lower Middle Ages, the interest for the matter is sparse. Nonetheless, many contributions helped changing the outline of a juridical figure that, over a long time, has hardly been applied. In the Modern Era, a similar development continues, even bigger than the prior beliefs suggested. In fact, at the time, the life of adoption as a juridical figure (although not really widespread) went silently on, prior to its evident resurgence (in different guises) during the French Revolution, in a new conception of family and society, based on more egalitarian principles and, with less success, in the Napoleonic Era (as well as in the Code civil). The following centuries attested the necessity of the recourse to adoption, that nowadays finds its reason of being in “natural” grounds.

Si segue l’evolversi dell’istituto dell’adozione dall’alto medioevo alla tarda età moderna nel suo reimpiego attraverso i tempi secondo le necessità della società. Si passano così in rassegna alcune opere dottrinali e documenti altomedievali che recano tracce di una ‘vita’ dell’istituto, in parte in accordo con il regime romano, in parte nel solco del diritto longobardo e franco, al fine precipuo di assicurare un figlio a chi ne è privo (imitatio naturae) e di avere un proprio erede prescelto. Nel Basso Medioevo, se l’interesse verso l’adottare è abbastanza scarso, non mancano tuttavia testimonianze diverse, che contribuiscono a mutare la fisionomia di un istituto considerato per lungo tempo di scarsissima o quasi nulla applicazione : la dottrina ne tratta seguendo lo schema e la disciplina romanistica ma prende anche in parte atto di un’applicazione ‘diversa’ nella quotidianità dell’epoca e cerca di assecondarne, soprattutto nei consilia, un più largo impiego per provvedere da una parte alle esigenze di orfani bisognosi di assistenza e dall’altra di coloro che desiderano farsi carico del mantenimento di un fanciullo in stato di bisogno, o di avere un erede per necessità dinastiche. Nell’età moderna si può rilevare un analogo sviluppo, non così stentato come prima si credeva. Seppure non di uso frequente, l’istituto continua il suo cammino : la sua vita, per così dire sotto traccia, è preludio ad un risorgere, talora sotto vesti mutate, durante la rivoluzione francese, in una nuova concezione della famiglia e della società, fondata su principi più egualitari, e, con minore favore, nell’età napoleonica (e nel Code civil). I secoli successivi attestano la ‘necessità di un suo uso che trova la sua ragione d’essere, all’oggi, in motivazioni ‘naturali’. The paper follows the evolution of juridical « adoption », from the high Middle Ages to the late Modern Era, and its use over time according to the society’s needs. In particular, the paper covers some scholarship works and documents dating back to the high Middle Ages in which adoption is sparsely dealt with - in part consistently with Roman law and in part following the trail of the Franc and Longobard law - and in which the aim was to ensure the possibility to have a son to whomever lacked one (imitatio naturae) or to choose a specific heir. In the lower Middle Ages, the interest for the matter is sparse. Nonetheless, one could find many contributions that helped changing the outline of a juridical figure that, over a long time, has hardly been applied : the scholars of the time dealt with the matter following the scheme and the discipline outlined by Roman Law, but also acknowledged the possibility for a different implementation of the same in the Middle Ages life and tried to facilitate, particularly with the consilia, a wider usage of adoption in order to provide, on one hand, for the necessities of the orphans in need and, on the other hand, for the desire of those willing to take care after a child in need or of those in need of a heir for dynasty purposes. In the Modern Era, one can find a similar development, even bigger than the prior beliefs suggested. In fact, at the time, the life of adoption as a juridical figure (although not really widespread) went silently on, prior to its evident resurgence (in different guises) during the French Revolution, in a new conception of family and society, based on more egalitarian principles and, with less success, in the Napoleon Era (as well as in the Code civil). The following centuries attested the necessity of the recourse to adoption, that nowadays finds its reason of being in « natural » grounds.

La biografia di Giovanni Nicoletti da Imola (1372 ca. - 1436) dopo vari decenni di ricerche archivistiche e codicologiche si arricchisce di molti e fino ad ora ignoti particolari. Opere a lui attribuite si sono poi rivelate di altri autori: così, ad esempio, il prologo al commento al primo libro delle Decretali e quanto segue fino ad X 1.1.2, opera di Francesco Zabarella. D'altra parte, è venuta alla luce una lettura sul quinto libro delle medesime Decretali di cui la storiografia era restata del tutto all'oscuro.