Herencias - History Lab

Map of the areas of single heir predominance in Aragon during the Modern Age

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:25 +0000

During the Modern Age, the Kingdom of Aragon had a system of unequal transmission of inheritance, i.e. the testator had free disposal of his goods to bequeath them in any quantity and amount to the parent or parents he wished, obliged only to reserve 5 sueldos in money and 5 in white lands for each of the legitimate children. In effect, for all those with sufficient movable and immovable property to bequeath, a single heir could be chosen almost exclusively, in contrast to the Castilian system of equal distribution of inheritance. The resource shows the distribution in the Kingdom of Aragon of the areas where the family policy of the sole heir predominated; in the north, the Pyrenean valleys and the Cinca valley, and in Lower Aragon, the districts of Matarraña and Guadalope. For these areas, the author observes that the sole heir used to receive real estate on condition that it formed part of his matrimonial capitulation. However, the rest of the kingdom opted for an equal distribution, although there were several variants depending on family affinity or the carrying out of a “quita”: leaving the inheritance to the spouse and the latter, upon testament, distributing it among those children who showed the best behaviour, or reserving assets to be used for the salvation of the soul through the masses of souls, the foundation of chaplaincies, patronages or pious works.

The post Map of the areas of single heir predominance in Aragon during the Modern Age first appeared on History Lab.

The nature of the assets brought by the spouses to the marriage in the Vega baja del Esla (1700-1850)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:31 +0000

When studying family structures, it is easy to recognise the importance of the dowry strategy in fixing a large part of social reproduction, whether through sexual egalitarianism from the beginning of marriage, in the development of the conjugal nucleus over time or in the different stages of inheritance. This model of social reproduction reached its greatest heights in the second half of the 18th century, presenting the possibility of accumulating large amounts of property if these strategies were carried out satisfactorily.
Although theoretically the administration of the wife’s dowry is the responsibility of the husband, by separating the property of each of the spouses it is possible to appreciate the gains or losses that each of them has incurred. The same applies when analysing the nature of the assets brought into the marriage as a whole, differentiating also between what each brings to the marriage.

The post The nature of the assets brought by the spouses to the marriage in the Vega baja del Esla (1700-1850) first appeared on History Lab.

Relatives to whom inheritance improvements are given. Albacete, 1760s.

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:31 +0000

The sample shown refers to the testamentary mandates that determined the inheritance of individuals. Despite the supposedly egalitarian inheritance, characteristic of the Castilian area, six out of every ten deeds contained an imbalance that broke with equality by improving certain family members. Of these, 31% were destined for sons and daughters, and of these, there is a greater predominance of males than females. With 17%, it was the servants who obtained an improvement, a significant fact as it reveals bonds of solidarity beyond the mercantile contract between master and servant. At the other end of the scale, only 4% of those who bequeathed more to their siblings were clerics, subject to celibacy, who bequeathed their possessions to siblings and nephews; and parents, with 9%. In the latter case, it was usually the children who died prematurely, without offspring, who improved their parents’ estates. It should be noted that improvements in inheritances were not produced as a means of ostensibly improving a child or relative, but as a type of compensation based on affection, work carried out or esteem. In short, despite the existence of improvements, they do not have a value that decisively breaks the egalitarian inheritance.

The post Relatives to whom inheritance improvements are given. Albacete, 1760s. first appeared on History Lab.

Inheritance systems in Modern Spain

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:13 +0000

According to the authors of the resource, “the inheritance systems sought the joint stability of men and women, mixing collective solidarity and particularised benefits” in search of succession strategies. In contrast to the traditional simplification of inheritance transmission models, the authors show us the more complex reality of the systems in their distribution throughout the national geography. The systems of sole heirs are subdivided according to the testator’s intention to promote a male or without defined priority. Within the former, Catalonia and the north of Aragon stand out, while in the latter, the areas of Navarre and Vizcaya stand out. For the Castilian egalitarian system, two variants have also been identified according to family motivations: favouring one heir with the third of improvement and the fifth of free disposition, leaving 2/3 of the inheritance for the rest destined to the offspring, or relatives in the absence of the former. This ensured the predominance of one heir over the others, but safeguarded a part for the overall distribution. Guipúzcoa, Asturias, the mountains of Santander and the province of Lugo (the latter already in the 18th century) reproduced this system. In the rest of the Crown of Castile, equal distribution between men and women, elders and minors predominated, except in cases where, out of affection or help in the testator’s old age, the testator tended to improve the inheritance of the person who assisted him. However, in order to avoid excessive patrimonial atomisation, wills could establish a patronage, chaplaincy or entailed estate in order to fix the endowed assets and provide the successors with constant assets that could not be alienated; another formula was to use part of the patrimony as a matrimonial dowry to ensure the social and biological reproduction of the family.

The post Inheritance systems in Modern Spain first appeared on History Lab.

Transmission of the patrimonial assets of the León bourgeoisie, 18th and 19th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:13 +0000

Marriage contributions and the transmission of wealth through inheritance were the two main methods of perpetuating the family in the social group and promoting its promotion if conditions were favourable. This resource deals with the latter aspect: the transmission of the patrimonial assets of bourgeois families in the city of León between the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. The bourgeoisies that the authors deal with are the commercial, administrative and liberal professionals. Together, the distribution of inheritances followed the Castilian system of inheritance; egalitarian. The liberal professional sector reproduced it in this way. However, within the Castilian framework, there was also the possibility of empowering an heir through the tercio de mejora and the quinto de libre disposición. Thus, the administrative bourgeoisie opted for the joint improvement of the third and fifth to one of the scions, leaving the total of the legitimate inheritance at 92.1%. The merchants followed the same trend, but with more attenuated values (95.6% of legitimate shares). In short, the distributions were fairly equitable in quantitative terms, but not in terms of the quality of the inheritance, because although the value tended to be the same, the business and the house went to a single first-born male.

The post Transmission of the patrimonial assets of the León bourgeoisie, 18th and 19th centuries first appeared on History Lab.

Beneficiaries of the wills of the Murcian prebendaries (1743-1820)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:13 +0000

The resource deals with the inheritance strategy of the prebendados of the cathedral of Murcia between 1743 and 1820. Despite what the ecclesiastical literature proposed (that the clergy’s assets should be destined to the Church and the poor), the high clergy of Murcia returned the benefits they obtained to their families. In fact, of the 46 wills studied, 52% (24 cases) had the clergyman’s family as the main beneficiary; 24% (11 cases) the Church; and another 24% the family-Church binomial. Overall, the burden of family obligations was the main motivation for making a will. The possible inheritance received and the patrimony to be ordained clergy subject to celibacy dispersed the family assets among the offspring; the return of the assets to the family meant, once again, the concentration of patrimony. However, the author warns, the tendency to put the family as the main beneficiary decreased by 9% compared to the period from 1591 to 1746.

The post Beneficiaries of the wills of the Murcian prebendaries (1743-1820) first appeared on History Lab.

Typology of testamentary beneficiaries according to the groups of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Murcia (1743-1820)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:13 +0000

All the clergy did not have the same concerns or strategies of social reproduction. The resource shows us the differences in the wills of the cathedral chapter of Murcia between 1743 and 1820. Although there were common tendencies, such as favouring the family lineage through patrimony against the moralistic treatises of the Church, the strength with which these policies of inheritance transmission were perpetuated differed according to the ecclesiastical grade. The most family-conscious group in the chapter was the Dignities. The author identifies the trajectories of each of the members and reveals that, in contrast to the traditional idea of belonging to the nobiliary estate, and thus being imbued with the idea of lineage, the members were made up of families who had recently joined the local oligarchies in a process of social ascent. Their arrival in the upper strata gave rise to the need to consolidate their position there, so that nurturing the family through patrimony was one of their concerns. The rest of the groups, both canons and racioneros, also underwent this process. Many of these family estates led to the entry of another generation into the clerical estate, a fundamental issue within the strategies of social reproduction and perpetuation of the lineage.

The post Typology of testamentary beneficiaries according to the groups of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Murcia (1743-1820) first appeared on History Lab.

Amount and distribution of the mandas to the Church of the prebendados of the cathedral of Murcia (1743-1820)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:13 +0000

The concerns of the transmission of the patrimony for the members of the cathedral chapter of Murcia were their own families. Between 1743 and 1820, 52% of the main beneficiaries of the testamentary mandates of the chapter testify to this. However, the moralist treatises and the doctrine of the Church tried to ensure that the distribution favoured the ecclesiastical institution itself and the poor. How was the distribution and amount of the mandates for these items? As a minority with respect to the total inheritance, the main beneficiary was the cathedral factory with 37,700 reales. The hospital of San Juan de Dios also benefited with 13,220 reales and the Casa de la Misericordia with 9,870 reales. All these institutions had in common the assistance to the poor. Below 9,000 reales, we find ecclesiastical entities: convents, parishes or confraternities, the latter with the lowest contribution: 528.

The post Amount and distribution of the mandas to the Church of the prebendados of the cathedral of Murcia (1743-1820) first appeared on History Lab.

Appointment of guardians and curators in wills. Valladolid, 18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:07 +0000

During the Modern Age, testamentary mandates emerged as strategies of social reproduction aimed at improving the family lineage. Sometimes, the deceased testator bequeathed to his children, minors, the movable and immovable property that he had in his power and administration. However, these assets were placed under the guardianship of an adult, usually close to the family, to administer them until the offspring reached maturity. The choice of the administrators of the inheritance was not a minor matter, but was a major concern of the testator in view of the possible perversion of the person chosen. In Valladolid, 77.8% of those appointed guardians were the spouses of the deceased, followed at a great distance by other relatives (9.3%), siblings (2.9%), children and parents (both with 2.3%), and “others” (5.4%), a concept which brings together numerous categories of individuals related to the family through neighbourhood or spiritual kinship. The city of Valladolid marked the general trend more sharply; in contrast, the nuances of the rural world attenuated the divergent criteria. Differentiated by sex, women chose other relatives (35.8%) rather than their husbands (21.1%) to be the administrators of their children’s inheritance.

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Inheritance distribution in the province of León in the 18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:07 +0000

The distribution of inheritance was one of the main concerns of the testators. During the 18th century in the province of León there was a direct relationship between the socio-economic structural framework and the choice of the inheritance model. The egalitarian distribution in the agrarian areas of Cea-Campos, the Vega del Esla and the Páramo stands out. However, despite having a similar agrarian model, the mountain area had some differences with respect to the rest of the province of León: there was a tendency towards the improvement of the third and fifth (between 36.5% and 42.8%) and the testamentary mandates (30.5%-38.5%) which favoured a first-born son in contrast to the rest of the offspring. The limited arable land in these territories marked the family strategy aimed at guaranteeing the biological reproduction of at least one member of the family, without social descent. Indeed, the possible disintegration of the patrimony would condition the marital choice to lower strata; a downward social mobility that the families wanted to avoid.

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