La société pisane vue à travers les testaments. Adaptations, mutations et permanences face aux crises du XIVe siècle

European archives contain thousands of testaments from the medieval and modern periods. These documents are considered by historians as a source of primary importance for the study of past societies. However, testaments have to be read with great care: they are indeed regulated by both roman and canon law, and they always implicitly refer to a local corpus of norms which deals with the problem of inheritance. In Pisa, from the years 1340’ to 1400’, writing his/her own testament is a common practice almost as much for women than for men. We find among these testators, a narrow majority of persons who did not have any children. In the context of a harsh demographic, economic and politic crisis, testament appears as an element of continuity and durability. Pisan testaments show the importance, within the post-plague society, of widows and orphans, who deserve special protections. These documents also highlight a tendency of Pisan testators to give greater importance to the links of the close family (parents/children, husband/wife). Finally, they emphasize the individualization of the fear of sin and of the techniques aiming to reach spiritual salvation, in particular that of the restitution of usuries.