Date of Award
12-2008
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Larry Simon
Second Advisor
Dr. Marion Gray
Third Advisor
Dr. James Palmitessa
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
This thesis is a study of townswomen in fourteenthcentury Barcelona. The source base for this work is the notarial register of Pere de Folgueres, which contains 375 documents of which 161 pertain to women. The documents were recorded between May 20 and October 17, 1338. The register includes, but is not limited to, dowry agreements, employment contracts, and property transactions.
Women in Barcelona appear to have been active participants in the land market through the buying, selling, and leasing of property. The way in which women participated in property transactions was dependent on their marital status and the rights they were given through their dowries. The thesis also addresses the argument that the dowry was a way in which to disinherit medieval daughters. It does not appear that this was the practice in Barcelona.
Recommended Citation
Hudson, Amy, "The Women of the Pere de Folgueres Register: A Study of Women in Barcelona, 1338" (2008). Masters Theses. 195.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/195