ABSTRACT
In early October 1392, a young widow named Blanca, converted from Judaism to Christianity and living in the city of Girona, was issued a royal letter by Joan I, ruler of the Crown of Aragon. In late June 1415, Jucef Astruch Benet, a member of a wealthy and influential Jewish family in Girona, concluded his testament. At the time of Jucef Astruch's death, the Jewish community in Girona was faced with numerous problems related to conversion, fiscal challenges, and increasing attacks on their communal autonomy. The royal letter granted by King Joan to Blanca in 1392 and the testament drawn up for Jucef Astruch in 1415 are two documents from the notarial archives of the city of Girona that can help unpack the complexity of stepfamilies in late medieval Europe. Despite their broader usefulness, however, notarial records are problematic for the study of late medieval stepfamilies.
