Legal Definitions - capitale

Historically, capitale is a term with two primary meanings in legal contexts:

• Movable Property: Historically, capitale referred to tangible personal property that could be moved, particularly livestock or other goods that were not permanently attached to land. Over time, the legal term chattel became more commonly used to describe such property.

  • Example 1: In a feudal society, a lord's wealth might be described in terms of his land and his capitale, which included his herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, and horses.

    Explanation: The animals, being movable possessions not fixed to the land, were considered his capitale in this historical sense of personal, movable property.

  • Example 2: A medieval artisan owned a collection of specialized tools, bolts of fabric, and finished garments ready for sale.

    Explanation: These items—the tools, fabric, and garments—were tangible and movable, and thus would have been historically classified as his capitale.

• A Stolen Item or Its Value: In another historical context, capitale could refer to an object that had been unlawfully taken, or the monetary value equivalent to that stolen item.

  • Example 1: Following a raid, a village reported that a valuable golden crucifix had been stolen from their church.

    Explanation: The stolen golden crucifix itself would have been referred to as the capitale in this specific historical legal context.

  • Example 2: If the crucifix could not be recovered, a court might order the perpetrators to pay the church a sum of money equal to the crucifix's market value.

    Explanation: This financial compensation, representing the worth of the unrecoverable stolen item, would also have been considered capitale.