Legal Definitions - sui heredes

Term: Sui Heredes
Definition: Sui heredes is a term from Roman law that means "one's own heirs." If someone died without a will, their property would go to their sui heredes, which were the people who were previously under their control but were released from it by their death. For example, if a father died without a will, his property would go to his children who were previously under his control. If he had adopted a child, that child would also be included among the sui heredes. However, if he had a son by birth whom he had emancipated, that son would be excluded from the sui heredes.