Witwen in spätmittelalterlichen Städten. Eine sozialhistorische Analyse

Abstract

This study deals with the economic and social status of widows in Czech and
Moravian cities during the Late Middle Ages. It investigates whether widowhood led
to a significant decline in the living conditions of women within the urban environment.
An analysis of tax-related sources from the Moravian city of Jihlava (Iglau)
and the western Bohemian town of Stříbro (Mies) reveals how widows managed the
assets they inherited after their husband’s death, as well as whether they remained in
their houses, sold them, or passed them on to adult sons or married daughters.
Particular attention is paid to the issue of remarriage, which conflicted with the theological
views of the time.
Using prosopographical source analysis, the author is able to show that while widowhood
represented a socially complex phase in the life of a woman, it can be considered
a relatively stable situation in legal and societal terms. Most widows did not
experience a deterioration in their financial circumstances following the death of
their spouse. Although there were numerous cases in the higher and mid-level social
strata where women impoverished after becoming widows, this decline often began
while the husband was still alive. With regard to remarriage, the analysis for both
municipalities clearly shows that women entered into second marital unions much
less often than existing research has led us to assume. Despite the various risks and
regardless of their age, women more often opted for a life as an independent widow
following their spouse’s death. Some chose to cohabit with other women, while others
lived in a separate household in their own house or a rented domicile.