Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Contract (private law)
(887 words)

1. General

Contracts are a central institution of private law. They are the means by which private persons (including merchants) can regulate their legal relations to one another. Contracts governed by the law of obligations are the most commonly used, with examples including contracts for purchase and rent, contracts for work/labor, service contracts, sureties, and loans for consumption (mutuum). There are also contracts governed by family law (e.g. marriage contracts), inheritance la…

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Hofer, Sibylle, “Contract (private law)”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_031422>
First published online: 2017
First print edition: 20170206



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