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Copyright of Annales Historiques de la Révolution Française is the property of Librairie Armand Colin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

El presente artículo tiene como objeto contribuir al conocimiento de la religiosidad bajomedieval castellana y dilucidar las actitudes ante la muerte del hombre medieval. Con el propósito de esclarecer la mentalidad de los miembros privilegiados de la sociedad seguntina bajomedieval, tanto de laicos como de eclesiásticos, hemos analizado un grupo de testamentos conservados en el Archivo de la Catedral de Sigüenza de los siglos XIII, XIV y XV. Gracias a estos documentos oficiales podemos acercarnos a las concepciones sobre la vida y la muerte que imperaban en dicho contexto. En los testamentos quedan codificados los ritos y actitudes que el hombre utilizaba para transitar de la vida terrenal al más allá y alcanzar la tan ansiada Salvación Eterna.This article contributes to the knowledge of Castilian medieval religious belief and to explain the attitudes of medieval man towards death. It aims at shedding light on the mentality of the privileged members of late medieval Sigüenza, both lay and clergymen, by studying a collection of wills preserved in the Sigüenza Cathedral Archive from the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Through these official documents we can begin to discern the ideas regarding life and death that prevailed in this context. These wills establish models of rites and attitudes that people adopted in order to go from earthly life to the afterlife and to reach the much-coveted eternal salvation.

A través del análisis de los testamentos de tres regidores del siglo XV, de las ciudades de Córdoba y Guadalajara, y de otro material documental y bibliográfico, hemos intentado demostrar cómo un mismo cargo puede ofrecer distintos matices según quién lo ejerce. Así hemos encontrado que en un caso lo que prima son los vínculos políticos y familiares. En otro, se advierte un deseo de vivir por encima de las posibilidades económicas inherentes al oficio. Y en el tercero llama la atención el énfasis puesto en destacar la honra y el linaje.By analysing the wills of three councillors from Córdoba and Guadalajara in the fifteenth century, we have attempted to demonstrate how holding the same political position differed depending on who exercised it. Thus, we found a case where political and family links were the driving forces, another evidenced a wish to live beyond the economic possibilities inherent to the task, and the third case manifested an emphasis on honour and lineage.

The focus of the paper is on bequests pro male ablatis in the wills of Kotor citizens drawn up between 1326 and 1337 against the backdrop of their own time and the dynamic relationship between Christian ethics and mercantile and banking practices. The concept of bequests pro male ablatis has been analysed as part of the well-developed practice, strongly influenced by confessors, of making testamentary gifts pro remedio animae and preparing for a good death. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177003: Medieval heritage of the Balkans: institutions and culture]

Lists have something of a levelling effect. They place the objects they enumerate on the same conceptual plane. In the context of a colonial township in the Viceroyalty of Peru, Cajamarca, the compilation of lists of heirs by Indian testators appears to have been used by the Corregidor to allow Spaniards settled in what was legally a pueblo de indios to acquire a permanent right of residence and fight off impoverishment. This right was under permanent threat from the hostility of Franciscans and caciques alike. In a context of conflict by the pen, by placing debts payable, debts receivable and property side by side, lists of heirs blur the boundaries between persons, whether Indians or not, revealing a hierarchy of goods determined by the bonds of affection linking the testators with their heirs or assigns.

Inheritance as both a concept and a practice is of deep significance within all societies and jurisdictions. Located at the intersection between economics, family relations and the end of life, it offers a unique perspective on a variety of contemporary socio-legal debates. Yet the socio-legal phenomenon of inheritance has attracted relatively little scholastic attention. This special issue, which brings together eight papers coming from six different countries (and eight different jurisdictions): Belgium, England and Wales, Israel, Spain (Catalonia and the Basque Country), Switzerland and the USA, demonstrates the breadth of inheritance as a field of study in a number of ways and at the same time opens up important new lines of enquiry. This international breadth serves to foreground the significance of both national and regional political culture on inheritance law. Most significant in this respect is the fact that the authors are evenly split between those commentating on civil legal systems and those on common-law systems; for traditionally the two systems have adopted highly distinct responses to the principles of testamentary freedom and forced heirship. All the articles in this collection provide insight into this fundamental distinction but at the same time demonstrate its limits in practice. La herencia, tanto como concepto o como práctica, es muy significante en todas las sociedades y jurisdicciones. Situada en la intersección entre economía, relaciones familiares y el final de la vida, ofrece una perspectiva única sobre una variedad de debates sociojurídicos contemporáneos. Sin embargo, el fenómeno de la herencia ha atraído relativamente poca atención entre la comunidad académica sociojurídica. Este número especial, que reúne ocho documentos procedentes de seis países y ocho jurisdicciones diferentes: Bélgica, Inglaterra y Gales, Israel, España (Cataluña y País Vasco), Suiza y Estados Unidos, demuestra la amplitud de la herencia como campo de estudio desde diferentes puntos de vista, y al mismo tiempo abre nuevas e importantes líneas de investigación. Esta amplitud internacional sirve para dar relevancia a la importancia de la cultura política nacional y regional en materia de derecho de herencia. En este sentido, es representativo que los artículos se dividen, a partes iguales, entre los que se centran en los sistemas de derecho romano, y en los sistemas de derecho anglosajón, ya que, tradicionalmente, los dos sistemas han adoptado respuestas muy distintas a los principios de libertad testamentaria y herencia forzosa. Todos los artículos en este número ofrecen información sobre esta distinción fundamental, y al mismo tiempo demuestran sus límites al ponerlos en práctica.

In the current academic debate on family and succession law, the abolition or reform of forced heirship is often advocated. It is argued that this institution does not respond to the expectations and needs of today’s society. In the realm of freedom embodied by testate succession by will, the mandatory share is framed as a contradictory restriction on the individual right to decide freely. This paper contributes to the debate on the legal and social basis of forced heirship by offering a moderate defence of the institution. I argue that forced heirship actually protects individual choice while also respecting intergenerational ties. Moreover, the institution restrains competition and opportunistic behavior among siblings. It reflects the reality that we are alone in neither birth nor death and it reins in the Cain-like tendencies that threaten to tear apart families. En el debate académico reciente sobre el Derecho de Familia y Sucesiones es un lugar común plantear la reforma o la abolición de la legítima. Se argumenta que esta institución no responde a las expectativas y necesidades de la sociedad actual. En un reino de libertad, como es el de la sucesión testada, la legítima supone una restricción contradictoria con el derecho de las personas a decidir libremente sobre una parte de su patrimonio. Este trabajo intenta contribuir al debate sobre los fundamentos jurídicos y sociales de la institución de la legítima, así como sobre su mantenimiento, con la discusión de algunos de los argumentos en su contra, ofreciendo una moderada defensa de la misma, sobre la base de considerar que todavía existen buenas razones para abogar en su favor. La legítima protege la libertad individual respetando a la vez los vínculos intergeneracionales, y previene las conductas oportunistas y la competencia entre hermanos, Este instituto refleja el hecho que no estamos solos al nacer ni tampoco cuando morimos, y puede ser útil para mitigar el cainismo que tanto amenaza la convivencia familiar.

This paper focuses on the socio-legal characteristics of succession battles, drawn from a large-scale empirical study of contemporary inheritance and probate procedures and conflicts in Israel. The study shows that litigating disappointed "heirs", i.e. people who challenge the division of the estate because their inheritance hopes have been shattered, are an exception to the rule of undisputed probate and administration of estates. Moreover, the findings point to the will as a risk factor which allows disappointed "heirs" to approach the court, while legal disputes in intestate cases are even scarcer. Based on the findings, the paper also offers a typology of the relational triangles – between the deceased, the alleged heirs, and the disappointed "heirs" - which characterize most of the cases studied. This typology is correlated to the finding that most succession conflicts are not among nuclear family members, but among parties who are remote relatives or with no family relation. Finally, the study documents two dominant outcomes of succession battles: out-of-court compromises that do not respect the prima facie deceased's last wishes; and the irreversible destruction of relationships between siblings. The paper ends with a discussion of the sociological question concerning the possible increase or decrease of the phenomenon of disappointed "heirs", and of the legal implications of the study's findings. Este artículo se centra en las características sociojurídicas de las disputas de sucesión, obtenidas a partir de un estudio empírico a gran escala de los procedimientos contemporáneos de herencias y sucesiones y los conflictos en Israel. El estudio demuestra que los “herederos” decepcionados que litigan, es decir, las personas que cuestionan la división de los bienes porque no se han colmado sus expectativas, son una excepción a la regla de las sucesiones y administración de bienes sin disputas. Es más, los resultados apuntan al testamento como factor de riesgo que permite a los “herederos” decepcionados a acudir a la justicia, mientras que las disputas legales en los casos de intestados son más escasas si cabe. Basándose en los resultados obtenidos, el artículo también ofrece una tipología de la relación triangular que se establece entre el fallecido, los supuestos herederos, y los “herederos” decepcionados - que caracterizan la mayoría de los casos estudiados. Esta tipología está correlacionada con el hallazgo de que la mayoría de los conflictos de sucesión no se dan entre los miembros de la familia nuclear, sino entre las partes que son parientes distantes o sin relación familiar. Por último, el estudio documenta dos resultados dominantes en las disputas de sucesión: acuerdos alcanzados fuera del juzgado, que no respetan la presunción de última voluntad del fallecido; y la destrucción irreversible de las relaciones entre hermanos. El artículo finaliza con un debate sobre la cuestión sociológica que atañe al posible aumento o disminución del fenómeno de los “herederos” decepcionados, así como de las implicaciones legales de los resultados del estudio.

This article presents some of the findings of an empirical research project that explored writing wills for gay men and lesbians. The research aimed to examine the extent to which wills might contribute to sociological debates about alternative kinships and intimate citizenship. While the overarching aim of the project was an interest in the contents of the wills (which is to say the intentions of the testators), it also revealed the influence of the lawyers on the contents of the wills and the extent to which changes in legal practice in England have impacted on the place of will-drafting within the legal profession. Exploring this throws light on the extent to which wills express the authentic voice of a testator and raises questions about access to qualified will writers. Turning to the content of the wills, the place of ‘god children’ or children of friends’ is examined. While a very particular type of beneficiary, the focus provides a space for thinking more widely about the construction of the ‘inheritance families’ of gay men and lesbians. Este artículo presenta algunos de los resultados de un proyecto de investigación empírico que ha analizado la redacción de testamentos para hombres gay y lesbianas. El objetivo de la investigación fue examinar el grado en que los testamentos pueden contribuir a los debates sociológicos sobre parentescos alternativos y ciudadanía íntima. Si bien el interés principal del proyecto era el contenido de los testamentos (es decir, las intenciones de los testadores), también se puso de manifiesto la influencia de los abogados en el contenido de los testamentos y la forma en la que los cambios en la práctica legal en Inglaterra han influido en la redacción de testamentos en el ámbito de la profesión legal. Esta investigación permitió conocer hasta qué punto los testamentos expresan la voz auténtica de los testadores, y planteó cuestiones sobre el acceso a redactores de testamentos cualificados. En cuanto al contenido de los testamentos, se analiza el papel que juegan los ‘ahijados’ o los hijos de amigos. Siento un tipo muy particular de herederos, el planteamiento ofrece un espacio para reflexionar más ampliamente sobre la construcción de “familias de herencia” para hombres gay y lesbianas.

In recent decades, the so-called “nonprobate revolution” has taken hold in the United States. Where the probate court once controlled the distribution of property on death, an individual can now avoid the expense and delay of probate by using a variety of mechanisms, such as revocable living trusts and “payable on death” designations attached to savings and retirement accounts. Although the nonprobate system often works well, it has generated unanticipated costs that U.S. law has yet to satisfactorily address. When people experience changes in life circumstances – such as marriage, divorce or death of a beneficiary -- but fail to take adequate steps to modify their nonprobate designations, the law does not enable courts to effectuate a deceased’s probable intent. Unlike wills law, which prioritizes intent effectuation over other concerns, current legal rules governing nonprobate accounts and mechanisms value efficiency and institutional convenience. In addition, the ease and relative secrecy with which non-probate assets are executed can make it much easier for an overreaching friend or relative to take advantage of an elderly person who lacks capacity or to exercise undue influence. As a result of these problems, estates are increasingly being distributed in ways that frustrate the intent of the deceased. En las últimas décadas, la llamada "revolución no testamentaria " se ha afianzado en los Estados Unidos. Anteriormente, los juzgados testamentarios controlaban la distribución de las propiedades tras el fallecimiento de un individuo. Hoy en día, por el contrario, un individuo puede evitar el gasto y la demora de los testamentos, utilizando diversos mecanismos, como fideicomisos revocables en vida, o designaciones “pagaderas tras la muerte” asociados a cuentas de ahorro y pensiones. Aunque generalmente el sistema no testamentario funciona bien, ha generado costos imprevistos que la legislación de EE.UU. todavía debe abordar de manera satisfactoria. Cuando las personas experimentan cambios en su vida, como el matrimonio, el divorcio o la muerte de un heredero, si no toman las medidas adecuadas para modificar sus designaciones no testamentarias, la ley no permite a los tribunales hacer efectiva la posible última voluntad del difunto. A diferencia de la legislación testamentaria, que prioriza sobre otros asuntos que se ejecute la intención del fallecido, la normativa legal vigente que rige las cuentas y mecanismos no testamentarios, valoran la eficiencia y conveniencia institucional. Además, la facilidad y relativo secretismo con que se ejecutan los activos no testamentarios pueden hacer que sea mucho más fácil que un amigo o un pariente se extralimite para aprovecharse de una persona mayor que no está en plenas facultades, o ejerza una influencia indebida. Como resultado de estos problemas, cada vez más los bienes se distribuyen de manera no se respetan las intenciones del fallecido.

Se presenta en este artículo la investigación realizada sobre un tipo concreto de documentos de aplicación práctica del derecho relacionados con las sucesiones mortis causa, los codicilos. Sobre la base de un grupo de 30 codicilos valencianos de los siglos XV y primeros años del XVI, se sistematiza la orientación de las diversas modificaciones que estos documentos introdujeron sobre testamentos anteriores, de forma que es accesible la valoración de las cuestiones que resultaron de mayor interés para los testadores, apareciendo resultados que sugieren la idea de predominio de una mentalidad práctica por encima de las cuestiones directamente relacionadas con el mundo espiritual.Our research focuses on a particular type of document, the codicil, which involves a practical legal application of inheritance upon death. We use a group of thirty Valencian codicils of the fifteenth and earl ysixteenth centuries in order to categorize the manifold modifications that these documents introduced in previous wills. The result is a more accessible assessment of the issues that were of most interest to the testers, which leads one to suggest the idea of a practical mind-set prevailing over issues directly related to the spiritual realm.

Legal English is well-known for its complexity which makes it incomprehensible for lay readers. The answer to the problem of legalese is the plain English movement, aiming at simplification of the language of documents. Despite the fact that the rules for clearer drafting have been extensively discussed, there are still no uniform standards, which is one of the factors that delay the pace of reform. Some types of documents, e.g. wills, are especially resistant to the reform. The aim of this paper is to present a comparative analysis of legalese and plain English on the example of one type of texts. The material comprises a set of 6 British wills: 3 written in traditional style and3 inplain English. The analysis takes into account both macrostructure and microstructure of wills, including design and layout, grammatical structures and lexicon. The analysis reveals that plain language wills are much more readable than their legalese counterparts, as they use better organization, more accessible grammatical structures, and less ambiguous and less archaic terminology. It is argued that it is worthwhile to work on the enhancement of the existing plain language strategies and solutions, so as to develop and popularize plain legal English.

Analysis of the testamentary bequests that Kotor citizens made to the Fran­ciscans ad pias causas between 1326 and 1337 shows that the most common type was that of pecuniary bequests for saying masses pro remedio animae. The Franciscan played a prominent role in the shaping of devotional practices of the faithful and acted as their closest helpers through performing commemorative rites for the salva­tion of the soul after death. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177003: Medieval heritage of the Balkans: Institutions and culture]

The study is based on archival documents, accurately edited according to proper scientific criteria and in light of current literature. It comprises commentaries of the edited sources, including a brief historiographical and methodological introduction. The thread of the argument is provided by elements of the structure of the documents themselves. They are specifically analysed according to the perspectives of diplomatics, of the history of the testators' families, and of their social relationships and history of the political, religious, and charitable institutions of Bergamo in the XII century.Il contributo, solidamente fondato su documentazione d'archivio edita in maniera scientificamente corretta e aggiornata, si presenta sotto forma di schede, a commento dei documenti pubblicati, con una rapida introduzione generale di tipo storiografico e metodologico. Il filo conduttore è dato da alcuni elementi della struttura dei documenti stessi, analizzati soprattutto in chiave diplomatistica, e nella prospettiva della storia delle famiglie dei testatori, della loro rete di relazioni sociali, delle istituzioni religiose e caritative di Bergamo nel XII secolo.

Religious practices in late medieval Kotor included charitable acts of donating clothes to the poor as a form of imitatio Christi. The model of charity for the faithful to follow was set in the vitae of widely-favoured saints such as Sts Martin of Tours, Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Sienna, whose portraits were painted on the walls of Kotor’s church of St Anne in the second half of the fifteenth century. Evidence for the prac­tice and purpose of this particular form of charity is found in the surviving wills of the citizens of Kotor. Apart from giving clothes to the poor out of concern pro remedio animae, the motif of clothes features in the deceased’s testamentary instructions for burial in the habit of a mendicant order.

Not much is known about the relationship between the law and the business world during the transition to industrial capitalism. Perspectives on civil litigation by businessmen active during this period are also quite rare. The author proposes to explain the experiences of the Baptist family, who dominated the forestry industry in the Mauricie region of Quebec during the second half of the 19th century, in their juridical and litigious context. The trials involving the Baptists shed light on certain strategic uses made of the civil law, particularly in the areas of business partnerships and testamentary provisions. These lawsuits highlight those legal relationships which, in their view, gave rise to conflicts, whether relating to the use of regional territory, dealings with sub-contractors or property issues. The findings lead the authors to question the use of the law as well as the idea that the courts served to maximize the efficiency of the capitalist market in the 19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study offers an examination of two aspects of the Leonese infantazgo from the end of the eleventh century and the first half of the twelfth: the supposed obligation of the infantas to reject matrimonial ties in order to possess the infantazgo and the manner in which this inheritance contributed to women's architectural patronage, specifically at the royal church of San Isidoro in León. This research leads to the conclusion that the infantazgo was not a monolithic institution, as it has sometimes been seen. Rather, it was shared and divided among all the women of the royal family, who apparently had a fair amount of autonomy when it came to giving out income and donating their property, even to the point of alienating it.

By the end of the 16th century, Cajamarca is a “town of Indians” destined to the natives. Many of them fled, disappeared or died, whereas the Spaniards settled down in the head town of the province Cajamarca becomes in the 17th century, which population rises up to 10 000 inhabitants. We are interested in the way the non-Indians undertook actions to legitimize their “right to be there”. In order to evade the prohibitions ruling over the relations with Indians — that restricted the acquisition of real estate — they persisted in their efforts to legitimize their presence and managed to control all the spheres of local government, including those of ordinary justice concerning the Indians. In this process, the public legal writings (constituted mainly by wills) represent both a mean and an aim of government. We are interested in this “taking over of the writing” by the Indians, who, as they respond to the legal and religious requirements, find in that practice a place of expression of their feelings and affections. We propose an analysis of the individual’s will and of the voluntary aspiration of justice by means of the Indian written words, which played a testimonial roll with a judicial vocation. Thus, the Indian public notary submits a report of the present state of things. He does this aiming to enforce the surviving members of the family to reimburse the debts of the deceased, to guarantee the realization of funerals, and to state “for the record” (“para que conste”) so that this act has validity in the future. Hence, the testament, available hereafter at the public registry for anyone to see, becomes a place of justice which inverts the time of those who spoke.

Il contributo, solidamente fondato su documentazione d'archivio edita in maniera scientificamente corretta e aggiornata, si presenta sotto forma di schede, a commento dei documenti pubblicati, con una rapida introduzione generale di tipo storiografico e metodologico. Il filo conduttore è dato da alcuni elementi della struttura dei documenti stessi, analizzati soprattutto in chiave diplomatistica, e nella prospettiva della storia delle famiglie dei testatori, della loro rete di relazioni sociali, delle istituzioni religiose e caritative di Bergamo nel XII secolo.

The article presents and examines an unpublished copy of a will belonging to 16th century French poet Nicolas Denisot and conserved at the national archives Archives nationales in Paris, France. It notes that it was notarized by Thomas Périer and Catherin Fardeau on September 13, 1559. According to the author, the will sheds light on a lesser-known part of the poet's life including the last period of his life, the approximate date of his death, his marriage to Michèle (Michelle) Mesnil, or Dumesnil, and his presence in French and British royal courts. It mentions that he is referred to as Nicole and that his occupation as valet for Henri II, King of France, is also noted. A transcription of the testament is included.

Abstract: Ten years after the publication of the law of March 4th, 2002, it seems always appropriate to mention the practical difficulties encountered both by the patients and by the doctors in the expression and reception of the will at the end of life. If the situation is very different according to the state of consciousness of the person, it is nevertheless a sense of ambiguity that dominates because despite the principle of primacy of the will and the palliative legal rules, the expression of the will at this stage of the existence remains very delicate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article discusses the testamentary will from the prospective of an historical document of the judicial system at the turn of the nineteenth century. It looks at the ways in which testamentary documents have been created and the intentions of those that create them, as well as the debates surrounding their treatment by courts. The nature of the relationship between social practices and judicial norms surrounding wills and inheritances to be one of conflict is also examined from judicial records and how they are utilized by courts.

The article analyzes the status of wills, probate records, and changes in religious practices in Orléans, France, from 1667 to 1787. The author discusses the decrease in wills, particularly funeral arrangement demands, probate records showing that demands are still being made, and the individualization of wills. The meaning of wills changes between 1780 and 1700, which according to the author, suggests the development of religious individualism rather than secularism. Topics include the purpose of wills including their judicial, social, and religious aspects and an analysis concerning the wills belonging to craftsmen in the city of Orléans, France.

Copyright of Cahiers d'Histoire de l'Amerique Latine is the property of L'Harmattan Edition Diffusion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses lay acts of charity in Marseilles, France during the 13th and 14th centuries. It describes the charitable gifts by women in their last wills and testaments, the socio-economic class of Medieval philanthropists, and the charitable work of monks in the Mendicant order. The pastoral relationship between priests and laity is discussed in relation to the ways in which clergy encouraged personal acts of giving, along with the role liturgical confession played in guiding people into acts of charity. Other subjects under discussion include the role of urban elites in encouraging lay charitable programs, the use of intercessory prayer and intercessory charity by donors, and the spiritual virtue of caritas.

Com base no estudo de 179 testamentos e de 130 inventários, discutiremos alguns tópicos acerca da circulação de artefatos na vila de São Paulo, entre 1580 e 1640, focando as vestimentas. Partindo do pressuposto da importância das aparências no Antigo Regime, analisamos o trânsito dessa categoria de artefatos, estimulado pelas cláusulas testamentárias, na tentativa de compreender os sentidos atribuídos às peças e a sua movimentação. Para tanto, traçamos um quadro geral e resumido das vestimentas registradas nos patrimônios arrolados nos inventários, observando modelos e matérias primas de que eram feitas tais peças de roupa, bem como os valores atribuídos nas avaliações e o peso que esses elementos materiais da cultura representavam nos monte-mores paulistas. Em seguida, nos debruçamos sobre registros de últimas vontades que colocavam em circulação peças de roupas, observando os circuitos pelos quais passavam tais peças e os sentidos dessa circulação.

This is another in our series of articles about Canadian legal clinics that provide specialized services to people with HIV/AIDS. Vanessa Gruben describes new trends in legal issues observed by the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic since the last article by the Clinic in 1999, as well as other programs and projects undertaken by the Clinic over the last year.