Arrangements before the “Great Passage”

Amidst growth in the history of mentalities – a developing research trend in Western historiography from the 1960s – there has been a greater interest in interrogating various types of historical sources, among which are testaments. Consequently, interdisciplinary analysis of this particular category of documents ‒ that Roger Aubenas called "une source historique prometteuse" ‒ with corroboration from information provided by other such sources, could undoubtedly offer new perspectives for a better understanding of family history, private life, mentalities, religious beliefs and behaviours, individual and collective attitudes and sensibilities, in earlier and more recent times.
The present volume addresses this need and comprises 15 of the 27 papers presented during the conference in the autumn of last year at the "Nicolae Iorga" History Institute. The event was organized within a research project funded by the UEFISCDI and was attended by specialists from Romania and abroad (France, Greece, Bulgaria, and Italy). All these studies – aside from their length and methodology – have a common topic: the complex testamentary practices in Western Europe (France and Switzerland) and in the North-Danubian space. The topics include the testators' interest in the post-mortem destiny of the soul and the perpetuation of their memory, the various strategies used to preserve the family patrimony, and the unavoidable family conflicts when descendants challenged decisions over family wealth, primarily when the deceased did not consider, or time did not allow it, to draft a will.