XII lentelių įstatymai ir kai kurios atskirų šiuolaikinės teisės šakų bei institutų nuostatos

LTTitas Livijus – Romos istorijos „Ab urbe condita“ autorius XII lentelių įstatymus vadina fons omnis publici privatique iuris – visos viešosios ir privatinės teisės šaltiniu. Nors šis apibūdinimas yra kiek hiperbolizuotas, vis dėlto XII lentelių įstatymuose stengtasi susisteminti reikšmingiausias paprotines tiek viešosios, tiek privatinės teisės srities nuostatas. Antra vertus, leges XII tabularum galima nesunkiai atpažinti ir daugeliui atskirų šiuolaikinės teisės šakų ir institutų (civilinės teisės, civilinio proceso, teisinės atsakomybės) būdingų idėjų bei juridinių konstrukcijų. Be daugelio jų neįsivaizduojama iš esmės nė vienos šiuolaikinės valstybės teisė, bet apie tai, kur ir kada šie institutai susiformavo, susimąstoma ypač retai. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Privatinė teisė; Romėnų teisė; Romėnų teisė, romėnų teisės įtaka šiuolaikinei teisei, XII lentelių įstatymai; Tito Livijus; Viešoji ir privačioji teisė; Viešoji teisė; XII lentelių įstatymai; Contemporary law, Laws of Twelve Tables; Laws of Twelve Tables; Private law; Public and private law; Public law; Roman law; Roman law, impact of the Roman law on; The Laws of XII tables; Titus Livius.

ENTitus Livius – author of the history of Rome “Ab urbe condita” names the Laws of XII tables “fons omnis publici privatique iuris” – the source of whole public and private law. In spite of the fact that this title is relatively exaggerated, leges XII tabularum indeed are the endeavour to embody the essential customary provisions regarding private as well as public law. From the contemporary law point of view, the Laws of XII tables can be treated in two different ways. First of all, the germs of essential contemporary law principles that comprise the fundament of Western law tradition can be traced in these leges of ancient Romans. On the other hand, the principles, ideas, institutes and constructions of particular contemporary law branches and institutes such as civil, criminal law, law of civil litigation, legal liability can be as well recognised in the Laws of XII tables. Contemporary civil litigation and procedure of the XII tables’ epoch have much in common regarding such procedural institutes as default judgement, peace agreement, principles stating the obligation of court to resolve the dispute during the first sitting and to guarantee the due process of law.Civil law that is traditionally thought to be the branch of contemporary law that experienced the most extensive impact of Roman law, has absorbed numerous important institutes coming from the leges XII tabularum. The major part of these are such that any civil law system can not manage without. That is why it is very rarely paused upon the problem from where and when these institutes were derived. The examples of such law institutes can be prescription, the idea of property limitation based on the public interests, concept of inheritance as the universal succession of the deceased person’s rights and obligations, partition of legal and testamentary succession. Because of the reason that ancient Roman ius civile and its mains source – leges XII tabularum involved not only private but as well numerous institutes of public law, Laws of XII tables maintain a number of inter-branch legal provisions regarding legal liability. Such provisions as, exempli gratiae, the dependence of legal liability upon the age and form of guilt of the subject, liability for the damages caused by other person or animal, are relevant both to civil and criminal law. Authors believe that the present analysis will help to know better a historic origin of some modern law principles and institutions as well as to understand their significance and purpose. [From the publication]