Legal Definitions - retenementum

Retenementum is a historical legal term that refers to the act of withholding, restraining, or detaining something or someone. It signifies a temporary or prolonged retention of property, rights, or a person, often against another's will or legal entitlement.

Here are some examples illustrating this concept:

• Imagine a medieval lord who, despite a clear feudal agreement, refused to grant a specific parcel of land or a traditional right (such as the right to mill grain) to one of his vassals. This act of holding back what was legally due to the vassal would be considered a retenementum, as the lord was withholding a right or property.

• Consider a scenario in historical times where a powerful individual unlawfully held another person captive, preventing them from leaving a specific location or exercising their freedom of movement. This act of keeping someone under restraint or in custody, without proper legal justification, would also be an example of retenementum, specifically referring to the detainment of a person.

• In a historical trade dispute, if one merchant seized and refused to release another merchant's goods or funds that were legitimately owed, effectively detaining them and preventing their rightful owner from accessing them, this action could be described as a retenementum. Here, it refers to the detainment or withholding of property or assets.