Patrons and freedmen

Some kinds of relation between the former master (patronus) and the freed�man (libertus) survived manumission as patronage. A freedman always had to regard the person of the patron as honorable and inviolable (Ulpian, D.

A freedman was forbidden to marry his patroness or his patron�s daughter. In case of poverty, both patron and freedman had the duty of reciprocal maintenance. Freedmen needed the permission of the praetor to sue their patrons, and in no case could they instigate criminal proceedings against the patron or be a witness in the trial. The patron could also require the continuation of some reasonable services (operae) and gifts (munera). These duties, however, were considered natural (obligationes naturales), so that the patron could not sue to enforce them unless the freedman had made an oath or a special stipulation to fulfill them (stipulatio operarum). Patrons had some rights of succession to the inheritance of their freedmen, although these varied based on whether the freedmen had made a will and had any children.