Published: 2020-10-30

Clergymen in burghers’ testaments — burghers in clergymen’s testaments. Last wills as a source for research on relationships (Prussia, 15th–early 16th c.)

Marcin Sumowski
Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej
Section: Studies and Materials
DOI https://doi.org/10.23858/KHKM68.2020.3.003

Abstract

The article explores testaments as a source helpful in researching social relationships in the Middle Ages, in particular in tracing relationships between clergymen and lay persons on the basis of their inclusion in last wills. The author notes methodological problems connected with using this category of sources, resulting from their scarcity and their laconic reference to the relationships in question. Therefore, following the postulate of the Czech researcher Martin Nodl, he looks at the available testaments from the perspective of microhistory, carefully investigating the context of each document. The issue of relationships is discussed on three planes. The first one concerns clergymen in burghers’ last wills, i.e. parish priests who were present during the writing of last wills, members of brotherhoods who witnessed them, those who were bequeathed legacies, and confessors. Clergymen were also mentioned in last wills as the testator’s relatives, which was very important in connection with inheritance, especially of fixed property. The second plane concerns burghers mentioned in clergymen’s testaments. In the case of higher-rank clergymen from towns, those were usually relatives. Other persons connected with the testator were also frequently mentioned, especially servants who were left some legacies. The third plane concerns relationships between clergymen, as priests were often included in the last wills of other priests. It can be concluded that the this type of documents can only serve as a starting point in investigating the topic in question. Relationships between those social groups should be researched on the basis of other kinds of written sources as well, taking into consideration wide biographical, social and cultural contexts.

Keywords:

clergy, burghers, testaments, social relationships, Middle Ages, Prussia

Download files

Citation rules

Sumowski, M. (2020). Clergymen in burghers’ testaments — burghers in clergymen’s testaments. Last wills as a source for research on relationships (Prussia, 15th–early 16th c.). Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej, 68(3), 315–334. https://doi.org/10.23858/KHKM68.2020.3.003

Cited by / Share

Licence


This website uses cookies for proper operation, in order to use the portal fully you must accept cookies.