Legal Definitions - statuto mercatorio

Statuto Mercatorio

Statuto mercatorio is a legal term that refers to a writ ordering the imprisonment of someone who forfeits a statute-merchant bond until the debt has been paid.

If a person borrows money and signs a statute-merchant bond, they are legally bound to repay the debt. If they fail to do so, a statuto mercatorio can be issued, which allows the lender to have the borrower imprisoned until the debt is paid.

This legal term was commonly used in medieval times when merchants would lend money to each other and use statute-merchant bonds as a form of security. If the borrower failed to repay the debt, the lender could use a statuto mercatorio to ensure they received their money back.

Overall, statuto mercatorio was an important legal tool for enforcing debt repayment in medieval times.