ABSTRACT
Drawing on published and unpublished last wills registered in several Istrian and Dalmatian communes, the author analyzes the main reasons why testators wrote up last wills and testaments in the period from the second half of the thirteenth to the end of the fifteenth century. In similar ways to other European regions, from the early days of record-keeping in Dalmatia last wills and testaments also listed the reasons why testators left such documents. Generally, the reasons mentioned most frequently were illness and old age, departure on pilgrimage, business or diplomatic missions, and dramatic historical circumstances such as periods of epidemics or war. Yet, most Dalmatian last wills from the examined period point to fear of death, particularly sudden death, as the main reason for their composing. Further to this, as confirmed in Dalmatian statutory laws based primarily on Roman law and to a lesser extent on canon law, last wills were seen as important tools for securing the eternal salvation of testators’ souls. As private documents with a personal, emotional content, last wills presented testators with a final opportunity to express their own individual piety against the background of pious practices performed in society at large.
