Le sette vite del possesso di Savigny

Abstract

The Treatise on Possession was the most famous Savigny’s work, published in seven editions from 1803 to 1865. Its history offers a new point of view on the life and work of the author, on the rise of the Historical School in Germany and on the genesis of systematics in civil law tradition. A comparison among the editions confirms that the two phases of Savigny production were rooted in a common methodological program. The discovery of the Gaio Institutions had a minimal consequence on the contents of the work. However, despite the national and international reception of the work, it did not leave significative traces in the future legislation and doctrine. Nevertheless, Savigny’s production method and categories became recognized models of the legal science