Limitation periods exist in every legal system to prevent claims being brought so long after the events concerned that evidence has disappeared, witnesses are dead, and the defendant has had no reasonable opportunity to know about or prepare for the claim. They reflect the principle that legal certainty requires that disputes be resolved within a reasonable time after they arise.
In English law, most civil claims must be brought within six years of the cause of action arising. Some claims have longer periods: personal injury claims have three years, claims involving fraud may have longer, and there are specific rules for latent damage. But no limitation period in English or international law accommodates a claim arising from events that occurred 200 to 400 years ago.
