The subject of this paper is to present the development of the institute of intestate inheritance law through the different periods of the Roman state with reference to the law of inheritance in contemporary Croatian law. Roman law significantly influenced the development of legal succession, and institutes and legal rules that emerged from the development of the inheritance law are still present today in the modern Croatian legal system. In the first part of the paper, the very concept of the inheritance law is elaborated and the basic elements and characteristics necessary for its understanding are stated and described. Furthermore, it provides a general overview of the development of the inheritance law through the most important periods of Roman history. The central part of the paper presents a historical overview of the development of intestate inheritance in Roman law from the period of ancient civil law, through praetorian and imperial law, and finally all the way to Justinian's law. During these periods, the intestate succession underwent significant and profound changes. With his reforms, Justinian finally regulated the inheritance law in a comprehensive way, abolishing the previous dual regulation of inheritance under both civil and praetorian law. His system of inheritance, which was based on blood kinship, would go on to become the basis of modern inheritance law. The last part of the paper analyzes the Croatian inheritance system. The basic principles of the inheritance law, the foundations of which are contained in Roman law, are laid out. The arrangement of legal succession is then presented and the circle of potential legal heirs is determined.