THE PRIVILEGED HEIR OF RURAL EXPLOITATION IN THE CONTINENTAL EUROPEAN LEGAL TRADITION

Abstract

The privileged heir of the special European agrarian succession system has its antecedent in the sole heir system, typical of the stem family, in force for centuries in Europe, and which survives today under its current figure, with adaptation to the new socio-economic and legal-political realities. This is so, product of a legal tradition that essentially remains, despite the changes in the last two centuries. The privileged heir system is a way of continuing undivided rural exploitation, encouraging the family to avoid decapitalization and uprooting.