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This volume offers the first comprehensive analysis of wills in late medieval Krakow. It presents the origins of testamentary acts in the Kingdom of Poland and its centre, Krakow, and their subsequent transformation from so called ‘canonical wills’ to ‘communal wills’. Wysmułek discusses the socio-cultural role of wills and sets them in their contemporary legal, social, and economic context. In doing so, he uncovers their influence on property ownership and family relations in the city, as well as on the religious practices of the burghers. Ultimately, this work seeks to change the perception of wills by treating the testamentary act itself as an important agent of historical social change – a ‘tool of power’.
Jakub Wysmułek, Ph.D., (2013), University of Warsaw, is a historian and sociologist at the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw). His main fields of research are premodern urban social history and collective memory in the contemporary world.
AcknowledgementsList of Figures and TablesAbbreviationsIntroduction1 Definition of a ‘Will’2 The Will – A Theoretical Perspective3 Source Base4 Subject Literature5 Structure of the Work1 The Institution of the Will1 Wills in Poland in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries2 Church Guardianship over Wills3 Property Laws in Medieval Cities4 The Influence of Roman Law5 Property Bequests and Canonical Wills in Fourteenth-Century Krakow6 Emergence of the Communal Will in Krakow7 Open and Closed Wills in the Fifteenth Century8 Fifteenth-Century Wills “Made in Sickness and in Health”9 Formula for Wills from 148510 Liber Testamentorum from 145011 The Number of Wills in Krakow from 1300 to 150012 The Reasons for Writing Wills2 The Socio-economic Position of Testators1 Social Characteristics of the Late Medieval City2 Categories of Urban Social Subdivisions3 Municipal Authorities as Testators4 Occupational Structure of Testators4.1 Merchants and Stallholders4.2 Goldsmiths and Belt Makers4.3 Food-Related Crafts4.4 Clothing-Related Crafts4.5 Metalworking and Armour-Making Crafts4.6 Professionals of the Written Word4.7 Other Crafts4.8 Summary: Trade and Handicraft5 The Financial Situation of Krakovian Testators6 Social Structure in Other Cities and Towns7 Wealth and Social Status8 Dower Records in Krakovian Wills9 Estimates of Testators’ Wealth10 Characteristics of Particular Social Groups10.1 Impoverished Testators10.2 Testators of Modest Means10.3 Moderately Well-Off Testators10.4 Wealthy Testators10.5 Extremely Wealthy Testators11 Female Testators12 Immigrant Testators12.1 Immigration and the City’s Population12.2 Newcomers to the City12.3 Cultural Capital of Newcomers13 Determinants of Testators’ Social Position13.1 Economic Capital13.2 Cultural Capital – Education13.3 Social Capital – Quarter Captains, Tower Commanders and Administrators14 Changes in Social Position14.1 The Dower and Level of Wealth14.2 Social Mobility3 The Burgher Family1 Family and Marriage in the Light of Law and Tradition2 New Forms of Bequests for Wives3 The Situation of the Widow4 Children5 Grandchildren6 Siblings, Nieces and Nephews7 Other Relatives8 Servants and Co-workers9 The Image of the Burgher Family as Presented in Late-Medieval Wills4 The Burgher Religiosity1 A Personal Relationship with God1.1 Clergy1.1.1 Confessors1.1.2 Preachers1.1.3 Other Clergy1.2 Religious Objects in Wills1.2.1 Rosaries1.2.2 Books and Paintings1.2.3 Expensive Symbols of Piety: Crosses and Agnus Dei Medaillons1.3 Participation in the sacrum: Personal Belongings Used for Religious Purposes2 The Familial Dimension of Piety3 The Corporate Dimension of Burghers’ Piety4 Parish Identity and Ties to Other Religious Institutions in the Medieval City5 Religion Civique – Communal Religiosity5.1 Beguinages6 Christian Duty7 SummaryConclusionAppendixGlossaryBibliographyIndex
