jus civile
Quick Summary
The jus civile was the body of Roman law that applied exclusively to Roman citizens. It was based on custom or legislation and was characterized by cumbersome formalism. As Rome's commercial interests grew, a need arose for a legal system that could also apply to foreigners.1
This led to the development of jus gentium, or the "law of nations," which was administered by magistrates and governors to handle cases involving non-citizens. Jus gentium was more flexible and drew from existing mercantile law, adapted Roman legal principles, and incorporated a magistrate's sense of fairness. By the 3rd century CE, when citizenship was extended throughout the empire, the distinction between jus civile and jus gentium largely disappeared.1
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civil lawThe term jus civile, meaning ācivil law,ā for example, was used in ancient Rome to distinguish the law found exclusively in the city of Rome from the jus gentium, the law of all nations, found throughout the empire. The phrase has also been used to distinguish privateā¦
Read MoreThe term jus civile, meaning ācivil law,ā for example, was used in ancient Rome to distinguish the law found exclusively in the city of Rome from the jus gentium, the law of all nations, found throughout the empire. The phrase has also been used to distinguish privateā¦
Read More- jus gentium
ā¦all men, as distinguished from jus civile, or the civil law peculiar to one state or people. Roman lawyers and magistrates originally devised jus gentium as a system of equity applying to cases between foreigners and Roman citizens. The concept originated in the Romansā assumption that any rule of lawā¦
Read Moreā¦all men, as distinguished from jus civile, or the civil law peculiar to one state or people. Roman lawyers and magistrates originally devised jus gentium as a system of equity applying to cases between foreigners and Roman citizens. The concept originated in the Romansā assumption that any rule of lawā¦
Read More