Emilija Stanković

UDK: 364.442.6 : 34(37)

Primljeno: 26. novembar 2009.

Naučno izlaganje ne konferenciji

PROTECTION OF THE POOR DURING DIOCLETIAN' S REIGN

 Diocletian paid a great attention to legislative activities. He passed over a thousand regulations, among which a special place belongs to a rescript from 285 which has raised vivacious discussions among scientific workers. Whether this rescript was just an attempt to restrict the freedom of contracting and to establish the laesio-enormis institute, or it was just one of series of measures to protect impoverished layers and to fight against large landlords and supremacy of large estates over the central government, remains to be seen. Reading the title C.4.44 we can see that out of 18 emperors' constitutions, 14 were Diocletian's and at least 7 of them were published as rescripts at the request of peasants and land owners who turned to the emperor for help since they had to sell their land below its real price. If we take into consideration the entire Diocletian's reign, as well as a great number of measures he introduced with the aim to strengthen his empire and hinder negative trends and tendencies, we can freely say that he devoted much of his time to the struggle against arrogant large landlords and protection of the poor.

Key words: Diocletian, freedom of contracting, laesio enormis, protection of the poor, rescript.