Q. 1. What is a "spurii" illegitimate child?

A. 1. A "spurii" illegitimate child involves a situation when a child comes into existence from parents, who either at the time of conception or at the time of birth, his/her parents could not have been sacramentally married.

Spurii in Roman law refers to illegitimate children born of a prostitute. The Roman law made distinction between illegitimates born of a concubine, and those born of a prostitute. The illegitimates born of a concubine were styled naturales, and those born of a prostitute were called spurii. The naturales were entitled to support from the father. The spurii on the other hand had no legal rights of inheritance or to a support.