ABSTRACT
Contemporary research suggests a variety of motives for charitable giving. These range from the altruistic satisfaction derived from meeting the needs of others to the selfish enjoyment of social prestige accrued from a well-publicised bequest. Other potential motives for giving may include gratitude for one’s blessings in life, empathy for the hardships of others, a desire to avail oneself of particular tax incentives or even a belief in limiting the financial inheritance of one’s heirs. 1 Examining which motives are privileged or encouraged at different times, as well as the ways solicitations for donations are made, enriches our perspective on the interrelationship of prosperity and poverty. This chapter contributes to a better understanding of these issues by focusing on how charitable obligations were constructed and conveyed in the Latin west (especially France) during the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, a time of significant social, intellectual and economic changes. The chapter begins with a general sketch of the late medieval landscape of charitable giving. It then surveys stories about almsgiving found in contemporary exempla collections, one of the more fruitful sources for uncovering how people thought (and were taught to think) about this practice. By considering the role of almsgiving in these exempla, this chapter explores how the experiences and attitudes associated with charitable giving reflected and responded to broader changes within the social and religious dynamic during this period.
