After a quick look at a topic in social history in rapid development - the history of childhood - the first part of the paper strongly refutes the idea of the middle ages as being indifferent towards children. A survey of different forms of adoption and foster care in the Middle Ages and the consequences thereof on family dynamics follows. Here too, the Middle Ages prove to be full of experimentations, giving rise to different forms of 'parenthood' and new relational models. Attention will be called to the - at time intense - bonds that tied the mothers and fathers to their respective 'godchildren' and those that developed between oblate children and the monastic family that hosted them, as well as to other forms of parenting that developed in the institutions - hospitals and brothehood - which took in orphans and reproduced models of family life of their own. Lastly, this paper looks into the stories of adopted sons and daughters by means of an examination of the still scarcely researched notarial documentation.

Stories of affection in the Middle Ages: Adoptive Children, "Children of the Soul" and Spiritual Children

ROSSI, Mariaclara
2015-01-01

Abstract

After a quick look at a topic in social history in rapid development - the history of childhood - the first part of the paper strongly refutes the idea of the middle ages as being indifferent towards children. A survey of different forms of adoption and foster care in the Middle Ages and the consequences thereof on family dynamics follows. Here too, the Middle Ages prove to be full of experimentations, giving rise to different forms of 'parenthood' and new relational models. Attention will be called to the - at time intense - bonds that tied the mothers and fathers to their respective 'godchildren' and those that developed between oblate children and the monastic family that hosted them, as well as to other forms of parenting that developed in the institutions - hospitals and brothehood - which took in orphans and reproduced models of family life of their own. Lastly, this paper looks into the stories of adopted sons and daughters by means of an examination of the still scarcely researched notarial documentation.
2015
978-88-6728-171-8
history of adoption, Middle Ages, History of Family
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/958412
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