Legal Definitions - lex Junia Norbana

The lex Junia Norbana was a Roman law enacted to define the legal status of slaves who had been freed through informal means. Rather than granting them full Roman citizenship, this law created a new, intermediate legal status known as Junian Latin.

Individuals with Junian Latin status were considered free, but they did not possess all the rights and privileges of full Roman citizens. For instance, they typically could not make a valid will, marry a Roman citizen, or pass on their property to their heirs in the same way full citizens could. Upon their death, their property often reverted to their former master or the master's estate.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of the lex Junia Norbana:

• Imagine a Roman household where a master, out of gratitude for years of loyal service, simply declared his slave, Lucia, to be free in front of his family and friends. While Lucia was now personally free, this informal act of manumission (freeing a slave) did not follow the strict legal procedures required to grant full Roman citizenship. Under the lex Junia Norbana, Lucia would not become a full Roman citizen (a libertinus) but would instead acquire the status of a Junian Latin. This meant she was free to live her life but lacked certain legal capacities, such as the ability to inherit property from non-citizens or to make a will that would be recognized under Roman law.

• Consider a former slave named Quintus, who was freed by his master through an informal agreement rather than a formal ceremony before a magistrate. As a result, Quintus became a Junian Latin under the provisions of the lex Junia Norbana. Quintus worked diligently and managed to accumulate a small amount of wealth and property. However, when Quintus passed away, his children discovered that he could not legally bequeath his property to them through a will because, as a Junian Latin, he lacked the legal capacity to create a valid Roman will. Consequently, his property reverted to his former master's family, demonstrating a significant limitation imposed by this law on those with Junian Latin status.