ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the way in which urban noblewomen of fourteenthcentury Zadar used their property resources for charitable and pious purposes. At that time Zadar was the greatest city of the Kingdom of Croatia-Dalmatia, distinguishing itself as a cultural, political, and economic metropolis. The city, which maintained a strong continuity with antiquity, was closely connected to its Croatian surroundings and embedded in the Mediterranean lifestyle and civilization. I will begin with a brief historical survey of the region, which is largely unknown in Western scholarship, and then proceed to analyze the composition of my target group (Zaratin noblewomen testators), examining the characteristics that infl uenced their ability to dispose of their goods (marital status and health conditions) and their testamentary practice. I will continue with a survey of the types of property that they owned and used in their testaments as bequests, making a distinction between those goods over which they had less freedom of disposal (immovable property) and those that were subject to far fewer limitations (movable property). A certain amount of attention will be paid to the cases of noblewomen’s patronage through donations of especially valuable items, such as liturgical objects, paintings, and books.
