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Article 738 of the French Civil Code

Where the father and mother survive and the deceased has no descendants but brothers and sisters or their descendants, one quarter of the estate devolves to each of the father and mother and the remaining half to the brothers and sisters or their descendants. Where only one of the father and mother survives, one quarter of the estate devolves to that father and three quarters to the brothers and sisters…

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Article 738-1 of the French Civil Code

Where only the father or mother survives and the deceased has neither posterity nor brothers or sisters nor descendants of the latter, but leaves one or more ascendants of a branch other than that of his or her surviving father or mother, the succession devolves half to the father or mother and half to the ascendants of the other branch.

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Article 738-2 of the French Civil Code

Where the father and mother or one of them survives the deceased and the latter has no posterity, they may in all cases exercise a right of reversion, up to the proportional shares fixed in the first paragraph of Article 738, on the property that the deceased had received from them by gift. The value of the portion of the property subject to the right of return is deducted in…

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Article 742 of the French Civil Code

The sequence of degrees forms the line; a direct line is the sequence of degrees between persons who are descended from each other; a collateral line is the sequence of degrees between persons who are not descended from each other, but who are descended from a common author. A distinction is made between a direct descending line and a direct ascending line.

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Article 743 of the French Civil Code

In the direct line, as many degrees are counted as there are generations between the persons: thus, the child is, with regard to the father and mother, in the first degree, the grandson or granddaughter in the second; and conversely the father and mother with regard to the child and the forefathers with regard to the grandson or granddaughter; and so on. In collateral lines, the degrees are counted by…

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Article 744 of the French Civil Code

In each order, the nearest heir excludes the heir further back in degree. In equality of degree, the heirs succeed by equal portions and per head. All except what will be said below about division by branches and representation.

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