Abstract
The article deals with the legal institute of legacy from the point of view of the application of the principle of autonomy of will in the law of succession. The presentation of historical development shows that the roots of this institute can be found in Roman law, as well as in the direct link of ABGB to legal constructions established in antiquity.
An excursion beyond the Czech legal order abroad proves that the legacy was and is a traditional institute of inheritance law, which allows the area of autonomy of the will of the testator to be extended. Further, the legacy in the current Civil Code is examined.
The various aspects of the legacy that relate to the application of the will autonomy are analysed. The author concludes that without the possibility to establish a legacy, the autonomy of the will of the testator would not be complete and that the Civil Code opens a very wide area for the testator to various types of dispositions within the legal regulation of the legacy.