Legal Definitions - infra annos nubiles

Infra annos nubiles is a historical legal term that refers to an individual who is under the age legally considered suitable for marriage. Essentially, it means someone who is not old enough to legally wed according to the laws and customs of a particular time and place.

• Example 1: Marriage Validity
  Imagine a historical legal dispute in a society where the minimum marriageable age was set at 14 for girls. If a marriage ceremony took place involving a 12-year-old girl, a court might later declare that marriage invalid, stating that the girl was infra annos nubiles at the time of the ceremony. This illustrates how the term was used to determine if an individual met the legal age requirement to enter into a valid marriage.

• Example 2: Contractual Capacity for Betrothal
  Consider a scenario from centuries past where two families arranged a betrothal, a formal promise to marry, between their children. If one of the children was, for instance, only 10 years old, a legal challenge could arise arguing that this child was infra annos nubiles. In this context, the term would signify that the child lacked the legal capacity due to their age to enter into such a significant and binding agreement, potentially rendering the betrothal unenforceable.