Complex sentence: The earliest laws authorized a landowner to freely divide his private estates among his wife, children and other relatives, but the members of a kindred tended to held their inherited domains in common for generations before the 13th century.
Split into simpler sentences: The earliest laws authorized a landowner to freely dispose of his private estates and divide them among his wife, children and other relatives. The members of a kindred tended to held their inherited domains in common for generations before the 13th century.