The Right of Retention in Roman Private Law

This article examines the institution of retention law, which arose quite early in Roman law and is known to almost all modern legal systems belonging to the continental legal family. The right of retention (ius retention) could be exercised in the performance of loan or pledge agreements, as well as in the event of a tort obligation. When writing, the authors relied primarily on the Corpus Iuris Civilis (Code of Civil Law), and, in particular, on the Digests of Justinian.
The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the institution of retention law in Roman private law based on primary sources, identifying its conceptual foundations, conditions of application and functional varieties. The objectives of the study are as follows: to reveal the content of the right of retention through the prism of legal thought reflected in the Digests of Justinian, to trace the evolution of this institution.
It was revealed that despite the fragmentary nature of the sources and the absence of a separate title in the Digests dedicated to this institution, we can rightfully say that there is a fully formed and developed institution of retention law in Roman private law.
The analysis of the right of retention in Roman private law provides a historical key for understanding and critically evaluating a similar institution in modern Russian civil law.

1. Дигесты Юстиниана / Пер. с лат.; отв. ред. Л.Л. Кофанов. Т. II. М.: Статут, 2002. 622 с.

2. Катков М.М. Понятие права удержания в римском праве. Киев: Типография И.И. Чоколова, 1910. 177 c.

3. Дигесты Юстиниана / Пер. с лат.; отв. ред. Л.Л. Кофанов. Т. III. М.: Статут, 2008. 720 с.

4. Дигесты Юстиниана / Пер. с лат.; отв. ред. Л.Л. Кофанов. Т. VI. М.: Статут, 2005. 563 с.

5. Дигесты Юстиниана / Пер. с лат.; отв. ред. Л.Л. Кофанов. Т. VII. Полутом 1. М.: Статут, 2005. 551 с.

6. Юлий Павел. Пять книг сентенций к сыну. Фрагменты Домиция Ульпиана / Пер. с лат Л.М. Штаерман; отв. ред. и сост. Л.Л. Кофанов. М.: Зерцало, 1998. 285 с.

7. Памятники римского права: Законы XII таблиц. Институции Гая. Дигесты Юстиниана. М.: 3ерцало, 1997. 608 с.

8. Кодекс Юстиниана. Corpus Iuris Civilis. Vol. 2: Codex Iustinianus. М.: ARCHIVE PUBLICA, 2025. 543 с. URL: https://drevlit.ru/docs/vizantia/VI/Justinianus/Codex_Justinianus/text.php?ysclid=mg9avurzbh569381985.

9. Дигесты Юстиниана / Пер. с лат.; отв. ред. Л.Л. Кофанов. Т. IV. М.: Статут, 2004. 784 с.