Adult brothers and juvenile uncles: Generations and age differences in families at the end of the Middle Ages

Abstract

In medieval families, dependent relationships did not fall exclusively within the context of parental ties. For various reasons, children sometimes grew up with a much older brother or sister or with uncles or aunts younger than themselves. The article examines these relationships in the household at the end of Middle Ages using fiscal documents and accounts of miracles. The questions are what sort of relationships existed when age and generation did not coincide, how authority was exercised, how dependent relationships should be analyzed, and how autonomy was acquired. These questions can place avuncular and fraternal relationships in a new and different light.