How does the German system protect a surviving spouse or child from disinheritance?

Under the German system of inheritance law, the law protects a surviving spouse, descendants, and—in the absence of descendants—parents from being completely disinherited.12

Rather than receiving a specific portion of the estate's physical assets, these protected individuals have a legal claim to be paid a monetary value. Specifically, they are entitled to one-half of the value of the share they would have received under the rules of intestate succession. This ensures that close family members maintain a guaranteed financial interest in the estate, limiting a testator's absolute freedom to dispose of their property through a will.21