Legal Definitions - abpatruus

Abpatruus

In Roman and civil law, an abpatruus refers to a very specific, distant male relative: a person's great-great-great-uncle. This means he is the brother of one's great-great-great-grandfather.

• Example 1: Inheritance in Ancient Rome

  Consider a wealthy Roman citizen, Lucius, who passed away without any direct descendants like children or grandchildren. Roman inheritance laws were intricate and often extended to more distant relatives. If the closest living male relative on Lucius's father's side was the brother of Lucius's great-great-great-grandfather, that individual would be legally identified as Lucius's abpatruus. Depending on the specific legal provisions and the absence of closer kin, this abpatruus might have been considered in the distribution of Lucius's estate.

• Example 2: Genealogical Documentation

  When a historian or genealogist meticulously reconstructs the family tree of an ancient Roman senatorial family, they might encounter a need for precise terminology. If they identify an ancestor who is the brother of a particular individual's great-great-great-grandfather, they would accurately label this ancestor as the individual's abpatruus in their legal or historical documentation. This term ensures clarity regarding the exact degree of kinship within the extensive family lineage.

• Example 3: Determining Lineage for Official Status

  In Roman society, one's lineage could be crucial for determining social standing, eligibility for certain offices, or even citizenship rights in specific contexts. If an individual needed to prove their connection to a prominent family line, and the connection passed through a very distant paternal uncle, the legal documents might refer to the brother of their great-great-great-grandfather as their abpatruus. This precise term would be used to establish the exact familial link and its implications for their official status or claims.