Commercio, fallimento e l'infamante berretto verde. La cessione dei beni nella Francia moderna attraverso il “Traité des cessions et banqueroutes” di Gabriel Bounyn (1586)

Ruys, Nicolas;Decock, Wim;Condorelli, Orazio;Pennington, Kenneth;Bellomo, Manlio
(2026) International school of ius commune. 45th Course: ‘Status, Privilege and (In)Equality from the Ius Commune to the French Revolution’. — Location: Erice, Sicily (Italy) (22.October.2026)

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Authors
  • Ruys, Nicolasorcid-logoUCLouvain
    Author
  • Decock, WimUCLouvain / University of Oxford
    Scientific Director/Editor
  • Condorelli, OrazioUniversità di Catania
    Scientific Director/Editor
  • Pennington, KennethThe Catholic University of America
    Scientific Director/Editor
  • Bellomo, ManlioUniversità di Catania / Università di Messina
    Scientific Director/Editor
Abstract
Published in 1586, Gabriel Bounyn’s Traité des cessions et banqueroutes appears to be the first French-language treatise devoted specifically to French commercial law. Although largely overlooked by legal historians, this work offers valuable insights into the tensions between Christian charity, creditor protection and the social stigmatisation of insolvent debtors in early modern France. Rooted in Roman law and transmitted through the ius commune, cessio bonorum allowed insolvent debtors to surrender their assets to creditors and thereby avoid imprisonment for debt. Drawing upon Roman and canon law, biblical authorities, legal humanism and French legal traditions, Bounyn presents this institution as a charitable remedy for unfortunate debtors. Nevertheless, his Christian humanism coexists with deep suspicion towards debtors, frequently associated with fraudulent bankrupts. This tension becomes particularly apparent in his defence of the compulsory green cap (bonnet vert), a public mark identifying debtors who had surrendered their assets. Bounyn justifies this humiliating requirement through historical symbolism and the protection of third parties. Interestingly, he proposes a significant distinction between debtors responsible for their insolvency and those ruined by circumstances beyond their control, arguing that only the former should be subjected to this sanction. This paper will examine Bounyn’s intellectual background, legal reasoning and treatment of the green cap. It argues that his treatise, innovative in subject matter yet traditional in its erudite and moralising approach, represents an early contribution to the emergence of French commercial law scholarship.
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Ruys, N. (2026). Commercio, fallimento e l’infamante berretto verde. La cessione dei beni nella Francia moderna attraverso il “Traité des cessions et banqueroutes” di Gabriel Bounyn (1586). https://doi.org/10.15581/016.125.012