Coping with Old Age in Medieval Hungarian Towns

Szende, Katalin

doi:10.1484/m.hdl-eb.4.3010

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“…31 Retirement contracts have also been mentioned in research on old age in France, in several cities in Burgundy, and also on the Mediterranean coast (Montpellier) and Atlantic coast (Caen). 32 In Central Europe these contracts existed in Hungarian towns as well, 33 and in Basel, which is currently the city of which we know most thanks to Gabriela Signori's study of 90 retirement contracts from the second half of the fifteenth century. 34 Her research shows that retirement contracts not only allowed the elderly in Basel to negotiate care in old age with relatives, but also with non-relatives, 35 which may indicate their lack of family members to fall back on in their old age.…”

Section: Outline Sources and Historiographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies for old age and agency of the elderly in towns of the Low Countries in the Renaissance

Zuijderduijn

Overlaet

2021

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Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, the elderly in the distant past could not always rely on voluntary care. Therefore, some of them had to develop strategies to secure assistance during old age. We focus on towns in the Low Countries, where family ties were weak, and ageing individuals likely had to plan for old age. We show how members of the middling layers of society could use wills and retirement contracts to ensure care provided by both kin and non-kin, and also to secure living standards during their final years. By recording such contracts, the elderly remained in control of their lives, despite their advancing years.

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Section: Outline Sources and Historiographymentioning

confidence: 99%