Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Limitation (law)
(805 words)

1. Definition

Limitation refers to the effect of time on a legal right that thereby is reduced with respect to its existence or its enforceability. Limitation is based on the condition that someone has failed to assert his rights within a certain time-frame. It appears both in private law and criminal law, as well as in other areas of law, such as administrative law.

2. Private law

With the reception of ius commune, its traditional principles of usucaption were also developed, that is, the…

Cite this page
Pahlow, Louis, “Limitation (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 20 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_029578>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20190801



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