Gaiusian division of people in medieval Serbian law

Čuvena podjela osoba, koju je načinio rimski pravnik Gaj, a prema kojoj su sve osobe ili slobodne ili robovi, bila je prihvaćena i u srednjovjekovnom srpskom pravu. Odlomak preuzet iz Epanagoge, bizantske pravne zbirke iz IX. st. nalazi se u gl. 11. sastava D srpskog prijevoda Sintagme Matije Vlastara. Ali taj tekst ne odražava društvene odnose u Srbiji XIV. st. Srpski pravni spomenici ne poznaju podjelu ljudi na slobodne i robove. U srednjovjekovnom srpskom pravu izraz čovjek (človek, ljudije) u prvom redu označava zavisne ljude (seljake) koje tekstovi stavljaju nasuprot privilegiranom staležu - vlasteli. Izraz rob (rab) rijetko je korišten. Njime su se poslužili redaktori Svetosavskog Nomokanona (Zakonopravila) prevodeći nekoliko grčkih izraza za roba (ανδρατοδον δουλοζ, παιζ, οικετηζ, θεραπαινα). U srpskim pravnim tekstovima termin rob sreće se samo u jednoj povelji cara Dušana od 1353. godine. Stalež sličan robovima u srpskim pravnim izvorima naziva se otroci, ali sadržaj i značenje ovog pravnog termina je vrlo složeno i iziskuje posebnu studiju.The renowned division of people, which the Roman lawyer Gaius made according to which all people be they free or slaves were divided, was also accepted in medieval Serbian law. The section taken from Espagnole, the Byzantine legal anthology from the 9th century is found in chapter 11 of part D of the Serbian translation of Sintagme Matije Vlasatra. However, that text does not cultivate social relations in Serbia in the 14th century. Serbian legal documents do not recognise the division of people between the free and slaves. In medieval Serbian law the expression čovjek (človek, ljudije) firstly meant dependant people (peasants) whom the texts place in opposition to the privileged class - vlasteli. The expression rob (rab) is rarely used. Editors of Svetosavskog Nomokanona (Zakonopravila) used it while translating some Greek expressions for a slave (ανδρατοδον δουλοζ, παιζ, οικετηζ, θεραπαινα). In Serbian legal texts the term slave is only met in one charter by Emperor Dušan in 1353. The class similar to slaves in Serbian legal sources is called otroci but the content and meaning of this legal term is very complex and requires a separate study