The role of testamentary form
in comparative background
The problem regarding form of testament stands between two crucial principles
of law: legal security and freedom of testation. The public wills can be considered
as the safest testamentary option, but, as it is complex to draw them up, it does
not fulfil the principle of freedom of testation. The position of such forms within
the testamentary law defines therefore how each system deals with the abovementioned
conflict of principles. The European models vary from the exclusivity
of the notarial will in the Russian tradition to the solely private will in the English
law. The German model (in which Polish regulation should be placed) offers the
testator many possibilities, but emphasises the role of the notarial will, trying
to balance the colliding principles. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the scope
of testamentary forms in the different European traditions and to discover the
axiological reasons for the significant differences between regulations in this field.