The legal construction of emphyteusis in Roman, Byzantine and Modern European law

Introduction. Limited proprietary rights to real estate, including emphyteusis, have a long history of origin and development. The roots of the evolution of emphyteusis go back to the ancient Roman civil tradition, while the main features of such a right are reflected almost unchanged in the legislative systems of modern times. At the same time, emphyteusis, in comparison with other rights to other people’s things, such as easements or usufruct, is currently not widespread.

Materials and methods. The study of the legal nature of emphyteusis, its key features as a real right, the analysis of the emergence and further legislative development are based on the use of the dialectical method, the historical and legal method, the method of comparative jurisprudence (comparative law). By analyzing the sources of Roman private law (Digests, the Justinian Code), the Byzantine land legislation, modern foreign and Russian legislation, the works of German pandectists, historians, and specialists in the field of civil law in Russia and abroad, the article examines the model of classical emphyteusis and its impact on the formation of modern legislation on property rights.

Analysis. Along with easements, usufruct, and superficies, emphyteusis is one of the limited property rights that allow the use of other people’s real estate - agricultural land plots on a basis other than a lease obligation. Classical emphyteusis was formed as an independent property law as a result of the agrarian policy of the Roman authorities aimed at overcoming the crisis in agriculture, and the constitutive features of emphyteusis, characterizing it as Jus in re, as a result of the reception of Roman private law, were reflected first in the law of feudal Europe, and then in modern civil law.

Results. The author’s definition of emphytheusis is formulated. The similarities and fundamental differences between classical and modern emphytheusis are identified, the provisions of which are contained in the norms of European private law. Conclusions are drawn about the inexpediency of transferring the construction of emphyteusis (permanent land tenure rights) to Russian civil and land legislation. 

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