ABSTRACT

In medieval and early modern Sweden, as in most European societies of the time, inherited landed property was the most important resource related to wealth and power. The rights of the legal heirs were protected to the extent that if inherited landed property had to be sold, it was first to be offered to the closest relatives. Restrictions on women's access to power, often related to the right to control landed property, have been approached from varying points of view in research focusing on the history of the Swedish realm in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. This chapter discusses the nuances of female agency and choices made by women in donating and bequeathing property, especially landed property, in late medieval and early modern Sweden. Analyzing landed property donations and last wills, it explores the options available to women when trying to secure their well-being in worldly life and the world hereafter.