Legal Definitions - catalla

catalla

Historically, catalla was a legal term used to refer to two main categories of property:

• Movable Goods: In its broadest sense, catalla referred to all types of movable property, distinct from real estate (land and buildings). This is essentially an older term for what is now known as "chattels."

  • Example 1: A medieval merchant's inventory included bolts of cloth, barrels of wine, and sacks of grain stored in their warehouse. These items were considered catalla because they could be moved, bought, and sold, unlike the land the warehouse occupied.

    Explanation: This example illustrates catalla as general movable goods, highlighting their role in commerce and personal wealth, separate from fixed property.

  • Example 2: A peasant family's personal belongings, such as their cooking pots, simple hand tools, and a loom for weaving cloth, were all considered catalla. These were items they could transport if they moved or that could be passed down as personal inheritance.

    Explanation: Here, catalla refers to everyday personal possessions that are not permanently attached to land, emphasizing their portable nature.

• Working Livestock: More specifically, catalla could also refer to animals, particularly those used for agricultural labor like plowing fields or pulling carts.

  • Example 1: A farmer relied on a strong team of oxen to till his fields each spring. These oxen, being essential for agricultural production, would have been classified as catalla in this specific sense.

    Explanation: This demonstrates catalla referring to livestock actively engaged in farm work, distinguishing them as productive assets.

catalla otiosa

Historically, catalla otiosa referred to movable property that was not actively used for agricultural labor, or animals that were not working animals. It had two primary applications:

• Non-Animal Chattels: This term could refer to movable goods that were not living animals.

  • Example 1: A wealthy landowner's collection of valuable books, ornate furniture, and silver tableware kept within their manor house. These items were considered catalla otiosa because they were movable property but not living animals.

    Explanation: This illustrates catalla otiosa as non-animal movable possessions, emphasizing their nature as inanimate objects.

  • Example 2: A blacksmith's anvil, hammers, and tongs, along with the raw iron he worked with, were all catalla otiosa. They were tools and materials, not livestock.

    Explanation: Here, the term applies to industrial tools and materials, highlighting that they are movable property but not animals.

• Non-Working Animals: It could also refer to animals that were not used for plowing, pulling carts, or other forms of agricultural labor.

  • Example 1: A nobleman's stable of riding horses, used for travel and sport, rather than for tilling fields or hauling goods. These horses would be classified as catalla otiosa.

    Explanation: This example shows catalla otiosa applying to animals kept for personal use or leisure, not for productive farm labor.

  • Example 2: A shepherd's flock of sheep, raised primarily for their wool and meat, but not employed to pull plows or carts. These sheep would also be considered catalla otiosa.

    Explanation: Here, the term refers to livestock whose primary purpose is not agricultural work, distinguishing them from working animals like oxen.