law
lex Voconia
The law passed in 169 BC on the proposal of the tribune Q. Voconius Saxa, supported by the elder Cato, which forbade citizens of the highest census class from instituting a woman as heir and limited the size of any legacy to a woman. Cicero cites it repeatedly (Verr. 2.1.106-114; Cat. mai. 14) as a classic example of how new law cannot disturb dispositions made before its enactment.
Reading notes
- Cato the Elder, On Old Age §14 argued for the Voconian Law in a strong voice
The lex Voconia (169 BC) restricted the right of women to inherit large estates and limited legacies. Cato spoke for it; the dialogue uses the occasion to date Ennius's lifetime.
- Against Verres, Second Hearing, Book I §106 lex Voconia
Lex Voconia (169 BC, tribune Q. Voconius Saxa): forbade citizens of the highest census class from instituting women as heirs. Cicero's point: Voconius wrote prospectively ("whoever shall be rated"), Verres retroactively ("whoever has been rated"), tailored to one defendant in one case.