Against the tide. Female property and political shift in Late Medieval Turin

Abstract

Despite statutory regulations aimed at limiting women’s rights over family wealth, late medieval Turinese sources provide a multifarious picture of women as owners or managers of patrimonies, in a range of ownership conditions in which more than just the dowry was brought into play. In addition to bequests from various relatives, in the 14th and 15th centuries women increasingly received significant shares of non-dotal assets and were chosen as universal heiresses in the absence of sons. Through an examination of notarial and cadastral records, this article explores the assortment of succession practices and scrutinizes the process which eventually led to an extension of female property rights in favour of only daughters. It is argued that this legal change resulted from a dramatic transformation in the elite composition in the late 15th century, which allowed the new local government to overcome custom and get a grip on patrimonies through female inheritance.