Some Remarks on Extinctive Prescription in Legal History

Abstract

Prescription, as it is well known, is, in a general sense, a means of acquiring or losing rights, or of freeing oneself from obligations, by the lapse of time under conditions prescribed by the Law. It derived from classical Roman Law and further developed under Emperors Theodosius and Justinian. Prescription, or Limitation of Actions, is found in virtually all legal systems in Western legal tradition including the Law of the Church.In this paper, I will shortly discuss, in a historical comparative perspective, the most relevant aspects of Extinctive Prescription in legal history, focusing more carefully, but not only, on Roman Law