Age of majority

The Jewish Talmud says that every judgment Josiah, the sixteenth king of Judah (c. 640–609 BCE), issued from his coronation until the age of eighteen was reversed and he returned the money to the parties whom he judged liable, due to concern that in his youth he may not have judged the cases correctly.

[9] Roman law did not have an age of majority in the modern sense, as individuals remained under the authority of the Pater familias until his death.

The age of adulthood was set at 12 for girls and 14 for boys, with boys gaining rights such as marriage, military service, and any legal capacity that depended on age only, including, until the introduction of the Lex Villia, the ability to be eligible for public office.

[10] The Lex Plaetoria allowed those under 25 to contest disadvantageous agreements in case of fraud, later extending to other circumstances, and the other party might escape repercussions only if a curator was involved.

Unlike with a tutor, the requester retained full legal capacity to act, and the role of the curator was merely to prevent fraud.

[10] Over time, there was a gradual evolution, initially focusing on property laws (while other legal matters, such as marriage and wills, continued to have separate age thresholds), eventually arriving at the modern concept of age of majority, commonly set at 18.

[11][12] Some countries, like England and Wales, are even considering lowering the age of majority to 16,[13] similar to how it already is in Cuba and Scotland.

[17][better source needed] In many countries minors can be emancipated: depending on jurisdiction, this may happen through acts such as marriage, attaining economic self-sufficiency, obtaining an educational degree or diploma, or participating in a form of military service.