Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Term: Sponsalia per verba de futuro
Definition: Sponsalia per verba de futuro is a Latin term that means "espousals by words about the future." It refers to a promise to marry in the future. In the past, this type of promise only created a contract of marriage that would be executed later. The contract could be turned into a present marriage by physical consummation. However, if there was no physical consummation, the validity of the marriage depended on whether the contract was made using present words or future words. This caused a lot of arguments and legal cases in medieval times.
Sponsalia per verba de futuro is a historical term that means a promise to marry in the future.
In the past, people would make a promise to marry someone in the future. This promise was called sponsalia per verba de futuro. However, this promise was not enough to make the marriage official. The couple had to get married in the present using present words. If they did not get married in the present, the promise was just an agreement to get married in the future.
An example of sponsalia per verba de futuro would be if a man promised to marry a woman in a year's time. This promise alone would not make them married. They would have to get married in the present using present words.
Another example would be if a woman promised to marry a man once he became rich. This promise would also be sponsalia per verba de futuro because it is a promise to marry in the future and not in the present.
These examples illustrate how a promise to marry in the future was not enough to make a marriage official. The couple had to get married in the present using present words.