Legal Definitions - promatertera magna

The term promatertera magna, originating from civil law, refers to a specific familial relationship: a great-great-great-aunt.

This means the individual is the sister of one's great-great-great-grandparent. It describes a distant collateral relative, several generations removed from the direct line of ascent.

Examples:

• Estate Planning and Inheritance: Imagine a situation where an individual, let's call her Maria, is creating a detailed family tree for estate planning purposes, aiming to identify all living relatives. If Maria discovers that her great-great-great-grandmother had a sister named Aunt Beatrice who is still alive, Aunt Beatrice would be Maria's promatertera magna. This term legally defines Beatrice's specific, albeit distant, collateral relationship to Maria, which might be relevant in jurisdictions with very broad inheritance laws or for establishing familial connections in a will.

• Historical Legal Documents: A genealogist researching a family's history might uncover an old will or a trust document from the 18th or 19th century that uses Latin legal terms. If such a document refers to a beneficiary or a guardian as the "promatertera magna" of a minor heir, it precisely identifies that person as the sister of the heir's great-great-great-grandparent. This clarifies the exact familial link and the degree of kinship recognized by the legal system at that time.

• Genealogical Research for Lineage Claims: In certain legal contexts, such as proving lineage for noble titles, tribal membership, or specific historical claims, precise familial terminology is crucial. If a claimant needs to demonstrate a connection to a historical figure, and a supporting document from that era describes a relative as the "promatertera magna" of the historical figure, it establishes that the relative was the sister of the figure's great-great-great-grandparent. This precise legal term helps to accurately map out complex family relationships across many generations.