Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.21857/y7v64tplwy
The Practice of Adrogation in Late-Medieval Dubrovnik
Almir Peco
orcid.org/0000-0001-7823-4817
; Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina
Sažetak
Based on entries in the registers Diversa Notariae and Diversa Cancellariae, preserved in the State Archives in Dubrovnik, various examples and modalities of adult adoption (adrogatio) are being examined. This practice, which developed in the antiquity and to
a certain extent survived across European territory through the Middle Ages, was not rare in Dubrovnik either, as it often proved a welcome solution to diverse vital issues.
Adrogation contract defined the terms for creating a new family structure by efficiently satisfying the need for labour force or secured life support in the third age. In cases when the adopters had only female children, by adopting the son-in-law who entered his wife's household (domazet) they were able to secure the continuity of the family and its property. Viewed generally, this practice was of major importance in terms of economic stability and social security of smaller family units, especially nuclear families.
Adrogation candidates were usually recruited among the broader family circle, which contributed to the strengthening of the family ties, and at the same time guaranteed that the adoptee would be a person of confidence. However, adrogation of persons
from the neighbourhood or even foreigners was not uncommon, based on previous acquaintance or some kind of recommendation. Adrogation contracts often point to the influx of Slavs from the hinterland and confirm their lively contacts with the Ragusan community. Adoptive practices thus proved to have been an active factor in the shaping of the ethnic and social picture of medieval Dubrovnik, contributing to its dynamic and heterogeneous structure.
Ključne riječi
adoption; adrogation; Dubrovnik; late Middle Ages
Hrčak ID:
337491
URI
Datum izdavanja:
5.11.2025.
Posjeta: 717 *