“If a man died without a will, his property went to his sui heredes (own heirs, direct heirs), that is, to the persons who were previously under his potestas, but were released from it by his death. If he had adopted as son a person not connected with him by birth, that person was included among the sui heredes; on the other hand, a son by birth whom he had emancipated was … excluded from the sui heredes….” James Hadley, Introduction to Roman Law 134 (1881).
sui heredes
sui heredes (s[y]oo-I h[schwa]-ree-deez). [Latin] Roman law. One’s own heirs. — Also spelled sui haeredes. — Often shortened to sui. See SUUS HERES .
