Liberto is both a
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
and a surname of Italian origin.
Etymology
The term liberto derives from gr, ἀπελεύθεροι, which means a freed slave. In
ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
, those freed slaves had various kinds of obligations toward their former owners and they did not have full citizens rights.
In
ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
they were called la, libertus, a
freedman
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...
(feminine: ''liberta'') or an emancipated person who acts for and on behalf of its former master, who became his patron ( la, patronus). During the
Empire period and after the judgment of a
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
they were freed from a la, iusta servitus. Despite being freed by
manumission
Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...
and acquiring the
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...
and a
legal personality
Legal capacity is a quality denoting either the legal aptitude of a person to have rights and liabilities (in this sense also called transaction capacity), or altogether the personhood itself in regard to an entity other than a natural person ( ...
, they did not have the same legal rights of the free-born and were excluded from the main offices, maintaining a subordinate position and many obligations on behalf of their former masters, which can be summarized in three duties: la, obsequium (obedience; respecting the patron as a father), la, operae (work), and la, bona (honesty; masters maintain the right of inheritance). This status could be revoked by la, revocatio in servitutem propter ingratitudinem. During the late imperial period a liberto can achieve the full status of
naive
Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may b ...
by la, natalium restitution.
However, the name Liberto has also been traced to an unrelated Germanic given name.
[
]
Notable people
* Giuseppe Liberto
Giuseppe Liberto (Chiusa Sclafani, 21 August 1943) is an Italian priest, choral director and composer. He was director of the Choir of the Sistine Chapel 1997–2010.
Life
In 1997 Pope John Paul II called upon Liberto to serve as the Director ...
(born 1943), Italian priest, choral director and composer
* Liberto Beltrán (born 1996), Spanish footballer
* Liberto Corney (1905–1955), Uruguayan boxer
* Vivian Cash
Vivian Distin (née ''Liberto'', formerly ''Cash'') (April 23, 1934 – May 24, 2005) was an American homemaker and author. She was the first wife of singer Johnny Cash and the inspiration for his first hit single "I Walk the Line". Following her ...
(born Vivian Liberto; 1934–2005), American homemaker and author
See also
*Roman law
Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
*Slavery in ancient Greece
Slavery was an accepted practice in ancient Greece, as in other societies of the time. Some Ancient Greek writers (including, most notably, Aristotle) described slavery as natural and even necessary.[Slavery in ancient Rome
Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy. Besides manual labour, slaves performed many domestic services and might be employed at highly skilled jobs and professions. Accountants and physicians were often slaves ...]
References
External links
{{given name, type=both
Italian masculine given names
Masculine given names
Portuguese masculine given names
Spanish masculine given names
Italian-language surnames