‘Uxor coruscat radiis mariti’: breve profilo storico-comparatistico

The paper focused on a brief historical and comparative analysis of the principle expressed by the maxim uxor coruscat radiis mariti, according to which the wife’s social status was reflected through that of her husband. Starting from Article 131 of the Italian Civil Code of 1865 and its connections with Germanic legal models, the study traces the origins of the rule back to late antique imperial constitutions (CTh. 2.1.7, C. 10.39.9 pr.-1 = C. 12.1.13; C. 5.4.10).