Agaguena, widow of Fariuni Falla: Palermo, 1394
Palermo, Sicily
Archivio di Stato, Palermo
ND E. Pittacolis 416 (See Bresc, Arabes de langues, ch. 5)
31 May 1394
Rena Lauer
Latin
Italy
Agnesa, wife of Busacca Naguay: Palermo, 1432
Agnesa, wife of Busacca Naguay
Agnesa testates while ill, naming her husband her universal heir and executor. She leaves donations to the synagogues in Palermo and Trapani, and to the burial society of Palermo. She leaves two silver Torah finials to the synagogue in Trapani (specifying that they be given in her and her husband's name) and names a man and his family to be guardians and maintainers of the finials for the synagogue.
Agnesa apparently had no children. She leaves her sister's three children sums "pro quolibet iure recognicionis sanguis." She also leaves a garment ("clamidem de Florencia") to her sister Charusa.
TRANSCRIPTION attached here as file from Simonsohn (see below).
Palermo, Sicily
Archivio di Stato, Palermo,
ASP, not. Nicolo Aprea, reg. 826, c. 240r-v
Simonsohn, Jews in Sicily, 11, no. 6855; see Scandaliato, "Haec est eius ultima voluntas..."
27 April 1432
Latin
Italy
Allegrezze, widow of David di Marini: Rome, 1612
Allegrezze, widow of David di Marini
Allegrezze dictated her will to Simone de Castelnuovo, a Jewish rabbi/notary, who recorded the will in Italian.
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPTION:
... per provedere ale cose e ocasione come conviene fare ali personi da bene e tementi de Dio et spressio comanamento e a sempio de le nostri santi patri e esendo lei matre de famiglia, aciò dopo ala sua deseparazione da la p.te vita non naschi qualche lite fra li figlioli e eredi de la sua eredità. Per la prima la quale più importa de la facultà de l’anima sua, con ognie ubidienza del eterno Idio renderla a ognie sua requisizione, pregandolo però con ognie devozione che la conzervi in quello loco sacro e felice al empo renderla ala materna tera (sic) ove e derivata per ordene e comanamento de nostro signore Idio, conziderando eser pecatore e confidanosi nela bontà devina, impetrandolo per con ognie devozione umilmente dimanda de suoi pecati perdono . . . Alle figlie Stella e Olimpia lascia 10 sc. ognuna per fare il corocio.
Rome, Italy
Archivio Storico Capitolino, Rome
ASC, F.5, l.2, ff.151v.-154r. 1612-10-01
1 October 1612
Kenneth Stow
Italian
Italy
Altadonna, widow of Benedetto Chaseni: Palermo, 1451
Altadonna, widow of Benedetto Chaseni
The widow Altadonna makes her three sons, Merdoc, Sabet, and Benedetto, her universal heirs, but also leaves them particular real estate and other items. She leaves to her sons, Merdoc and Sabet, a home, with details about where the home is located (between a tavern and another residential house). Sabet also receives ten ounces "in bonis mobilibus" (otherwise unspecified) and a silk "cortina." The oldest son, Benedetto, receives a store, and its location is also spelled out in detail. <br /><br />The will also notes that Altadonna had given her sons certain assets in an <em>inter vivos</em> document.<br /><br />She leaves four ounces to the the synagoge of Palermo to be given within a year of her death.
Palermo, Sicily
Archivio di Stato, Palermo
ASP, not. Nicolo Aprea, reg. 831
See Simonsohn, Jews in Sicily, 11, no. 6937; see Bresc, <em>Arabi per lingua</em>, p. 135.
19 October 1451
Latin
Italy
Altadonna, widow of Minixi de Messina: Palermo, 1454
Altadonna, widow of Minixi de Messina
The original will is written on 6 March 1454. She names her son Salomone as universal heir.
On 26 March, Altadonna adds a codicil which orders Lia (a son?) to be paid 7.15 ounces. Until the time that Lia is paid that amount, he should be allowed to live in one of the houses that had originally been left to the universal heir Salomone. She also confirms that Lia is entitled to an annual rent of two ounces.
Simonsohn records the late husband's name as Muxixi; Scandaliato reads it as Minixi (used here).
Palermo, Sicily
Archivio di Stato, Palermo
ASP, not. Nicolo Aprea, reg. 833, cc. 266v-267v
See Scandaliato, "Haec est eius ultima voluntas..."
Codicil: ASP Not. Nicolo Aprea, reg. 833, no fol. page.
Codicil: See Simonsohn, <em>Jews in Sicily</em>, 11, 7012.
6 March 1454
Latin
Italy
Altadonna, wife of Arono de Aben Rabi: Palermo, 1455
Altadonna, wife of Arono de Aben Rabi
Altadonna's husband is a physician. She names him her universal heir. She also leaves a Torah scroll, silver finials, and other ornaments (worth 12 ounces) to the synagogue in Palermo. She leaves 3 tari to her sister Gimula, wife of Benedetto Chaseni.
Palermo, Sicily
Archivio di Stato, Palermo
ASP, not. Nicolo Aprea, reg. 833, c. 490r
See Simonsohn, Jews in Sicily, 11, no. 7002; see Scandaliato, "Haec est eius ultima voluntas..."
28 July 1455
Latin
Italy
Anastasia, wife of Moyse Sacerdoto: Crete, 1477
Anastasia, wife of Moyse Sacerdoto
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
Notai di Candia, b. 28, fasc. 16, n. 12, f. 13 (not. Francesco Castrfilaca)
See Arbel, "Le donne ebree..."
April 1477
Rena Lauer
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Venetian Empire
Anastassia, wife of Judah Balbo: Crete, 1334
Anastassia, wife of Judah Balbo
Anastassia is the wife of Judah (Iecudha) Balbo, a spicer (<em>speciarius</em>) in Candia. She names as her executors her husband as well as her brother Sambatheus Balbo. It seems that she married a relative. <br /><br />She testates while sick, and names her husband Iecudha and her brother Sambatheus as her executors. She makes it known that her dowry was 270 hyperpera, which she divides between her "dear son" Ysagia and her daughters, Tardina and Cigiona, equally. <br /><br />She leaves to her husband the 100 hyperpera of her virginity money (which was "according to the customs of the Jews"). But if he remarries, that money should get divided among her children instead. Moreover, if he does remarry, all of the money that is left to the children should be given to them immediately upon coming of age. If he does not remarry, however, all of the money that goes to the children should remain in her husband's hands until his death, and only then should the money go to her children. <br /><br />Another 50 hyperpera that was given to her by her husband should be given by her husband to poor Jewish women's dowries "pro anima mea." She adds a condition that tries to circumvent Judah should he not want to do this. <br /><br />Judah seems to owe Anastassia's mother Eudhochia a debt, and Anastassia adds a clause to her will that, if Judah engages with Eudhochia about this "in iudicio vel extra iudicium" then her mother should immediately be able to get 200 hyperpera from Anastassia's dowry.
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
ASV Notai di Candia, b. 295, fol. 6r (not Antonio Rudolfo)
McKee, Wills, no. 463
24 June 1334
Rena Lauer
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Anastassu, widow of Moyses del Medico: Crete, 1432
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
Notai di Candia, b. 29, protocols, no. 8, f. 3 (See Arbel, “Le Donne…”)
23 April 1432
Rena Lauer
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Anastasu, widow of Solomon Astru: Crete, 1426
Anastasu, widow of Solomon Astru
Candia, Crete
ASV Notai di Candia, b. 115, fol. 10r
18 December 1426
Rena Lauer
Latin
Crete
Venetian Empire
Eastern Mediterranean
Anastasu, widow of Solomon Astru: Crete, 1426
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
Notai di Candia, b. 115, fols. 10r-v
18 December 1426
Rena Lauer
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Anastasu, wife of Iaco: Crete, 1336
Anastasu says that she is healthy in mind and body when she testates. She names her dear husband Iaco ("virum meum dilectum") as her executor. She leaves her son, Tobia, half of her dowry, and the other half of dowry should go to "the sons and daughters of my brother who now reside in Alexandria."
Anastasu recalls that she was named executor of her grandfather Zacha's estate.
She next leaves very large amounts of money to her son Tobia -- 1500 hyperpera. And to her daughters Pothyti, Parnatissa, and Vlimidhena, she leaves another 1500 hyperpera, to be divided equally between the three. To her other two sons, Zacha and Perna, who are still minors, she leaves 500 hyperpera a piece, when they reach their majority, 18 years old.
She spends some lines of the will organizing the estate of her grandfather, assigning a good amount of the goods and labor to Tobia and others.
The daughters Parnatissa and Vlimida (aka Vlimidhena) receive the house that had belonged to Anastasu's grandmother (named Vlimidhena), which she had given to Anastasu.
A strange line in the will -- the very last line before the boilerplate begins -- says that Anastasu's "daughter and son and my executor" should be able to compel her husband (who is, indeed, also the executor) to present and unseal all of the accounts and documents ("omnes et singulas raciones et scripturas") relating to her.
[Note: This is not a complete summary of the will.]
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
ASV Notai di Candia, b. 295, fol. 52v (not. Giovanni Gerardo)
McKee, Wills, no. 227
10 December 1336
Rena Lauer
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Annella, widow of the late Yahudah, called Picciotto: Rome, 1557
Annella, widow of the late Yahudah, called Picciotto
The widow Annella leaves money for her three children, two sons and a daughter. The daughter is already married, but the moneys are meant to fund her dowry, and are to be given to the daughter's husband. Her younger son is still a minor. Other money is to be used for charity. The wills is recorded by Leone (father) or Isach (son) Piattelli, Jewish notaries in Rome, in Hebrew.
Rome, Italy
Archivio Storico Capitolino, Rome
ASC, F.12, l.1, f.84v. 1557-06-03
3 June 1557
Kenneth Stow
Hebrew
Italy
Anonymous [Sacerdoto?]: Crete, 1475-1484
Unknown Women, perhaps last name Sacerdoto
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
Notai di Candia, b. 28, fasc. 16, n. 8, f. 8 (not. Francesco Castrofilaca)
See Arbel, "Le donne ebree..."
Unknown (1475-1484)
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Venetian Empire
Antonia Martínez, widow of Gonçalo Bras: Santiago de Compostela, 1566
Antonia Martínez, widow of Gonçalo Bras, silversmith
New Christian (conversa) testator. Although she testated in Galicia, Spain, she owned one of the houses in the old Jewish quarter of Porto, Portugal, that later remained in the hands of New Christians families. It is the set of 30 houses surrounding the synagogue that are expressly mentioned by Imanuel Aboab in his <em>Nomologia</em> (1629).
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Arquivo Distrital do Porto, Portugal
Arquivo Distrital do Porto, 2° Livro das compras e vendas das casas em que se fundou este Mosteiro, 1394-02-14/1619-05-16, K/25/6/6-495.1
28 September 1566
Ignacio Chuecas Saldías
Spanish
Portugal
Iberia
Spain
Antonia Saraiva, wife of Antonio Dinis: Pontevedra, 1608
Antonia Saraiva, wife of Antonio Dinis: Pontevedra, 1608
This is the codicil to the will of Antonia Saraiva. Around 1560, Antonia Saraiva married her relative, the doctor Antonio Dinis, both New Christians born in Barcelos (kingdom of Portugal) and living in Pontevedra (Galicia). She was the daughter of Thomaz Nunes, the elder, and his wife Marqueza Cardozo, and granddaughter of master Thomaz de Victoria, last rabbi of Barcelos. As such, she and her husband were both related to Martha Dinis, whose will is also in this collection. Many relatives of the testator (such as Martha) were prosecuted by the Inquisition or emigrated to the Jewish-Portuguese communities of the free lands.
TRANSCRIPTION
Codicil of Antonia Saravia 7-IX-1608
Codicilo
En la villa de pontev[edr]a A siete dias del mes de sep[tiembr]e de myll e seis cientos y ocho años delante de mi escribano y te[stigo]s ynfraescritos Ant[oni]a Sar[avi]a biuda que finco del L[icencia]do Antonio dinis medico que presente estaba ~ dentro de sus casa de morada acostada en una cama con todo su juy[ci]o sano y entendimj[ent]o natural aun que con poca salud corporal temjendo y confesando la santa ffe catolica ~ debaxo de cuyos presetos y mandamjentos protesto bibir y morir y con Rezelo de la muerte y por salbar su anima ~ digo que por quanto Ella antes de ag[or]a y en vida de d[ic]ho su marido abian echo y ordenado y otorgado su [te]stamento y ultima boluntad conformados uno con el otro ~ por delante de gaspar cabral [e]ss[crivan]o que fue del num[e]ro desta villa ~ al qual dixo se referia y [que por] que su boluntad ~ hera de lo corregir quitar añadir y emendar en alg[una]s cosas siendo nes[esari]o ~ por tanto que ella por bia de codiçilo codiciliando ~ o en aquella man[er]a que mejor podia y abia lugar de de[rech]o ~ y no alterando el d[ic]ho su [te]stamento salbo e[n] las cossas que aqui se aran mençion y en lo demas quedando En su fuerza y bigor y Ratificandolo p[ara] q[ue] balga en juizio y f[uer]a del ~ mandaba E m[an]do y declaro lo sig[uen]te ~ que por quanto Ella tiene a graçia dinis su hija biuda que finco del L[icencia]do albares abogado con muchas hixas E hixos y en gran nesçesidad sin Remedio si no el de nuestro s[eño]r por la bia E Remedio que puede y de d[erech]o aya lugar e por via de mex[or]a [y] la m[aner]a que pueda baler ~ le mandaba y mando ademas de la legitima que ubo y a de aber ~ çien d[ucad]os en din[er]o de contado ~ p[ara] Remedio de sus hixas y de su horfandad que la tiene muy gr[an]de ~ lo qual todo dixo que mandaba corregia y emendaba en el di[ch]o su [te]stamento por bia de codiçilio condoçiliando p[ara] que como tal y en aquella man[er]a que mejor de de[rech]o ubiese Lugar [ilegible] en ju[ici]o E fu[er]a del quedando como dixo quedaba el d[ic]ho su [te]stamento en su fuerza y balga y ansi lo otorgo ante mi el ess[criban]o en cuyo registro por q[ue] no sabia firmar rogo a su t[estig]o lo aga por ella de su n[ombr]e siendo tes[tigo]s di[eg]o ff[ernand]ez blandon e R[odrig]o suarez [100]
E gonzalo de [ilegible] ve[cino]s de la d[ic]ha billa e yo es[criban]o doi ffee conozco a la otorg[ant]e y al parecer [e]staba en su juy[ci]o natural.
Firmas
[100v]
[Transcribed by Ignacio Chuecas Saldías]
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Archivo Histórico Provincial de Pontevedra, Galicia
Archivo Histórico Provincial de Pontevedra, Galicia, Caja 1010, Testamentos, 1608, fols. 100-100v
See also: Juan Juega Puig, <em>Los Dinís, un linaje judeoconverso en la Pontevedra de los siglos XVI y XVII. </em>A Coruña: Ediciós do Castro, 2004.
7 September 1608
Ignacio Chuecas Saldías
Images by Familysearch.com, provided by Ignacio Chuecas Saldías
Spanish
Spain
Archondisa, widow of Helia Catellanus: Crete, 1358
Archondisa, widow of Helia Catellanus, daughter of the late Calo
Archondisa, a widow, names as her executor her "beloved brother" Sambatheus (Shabbetai in Hebrew). She leaves to her brother-executor a home in the Jewish quarter of Candia (currently where a man named Samargias Cumani lives). Three years after Archondisa's death, the house should become the property of her grandson Ligia, with a condition: Ligia only gets the house if he marries his first cousin Eudochia, the daughter of the executor Sambatheus. If Ligia does not want to marry Eudochia, he will not get the house. (Ostensibly it stays in the hands of Sambatheus.) If Ligia dies before reaching the age of marriage, on the other hand, she leaves the house to her paternal relatives ("meos propinquires paternos").
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
Notai di Candia, b. 295, fasc. 8, fol. 2r (not. Michele De Ceca)
McKee, <em>Wills</em>, no. 648
3 December 1358
Rena Lauer
Latin
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Venetian Empire
Argiri Barbaniadena: Crete, 1522
Argiri Barbaniadena, wife of Ismael
Candia, Crete
Archivio di Stato, Venice
See <em>Manouil Grigoropoulos, Notarios Chandaka, 1506-1532: Diathekes, Apografes, Ektimiseis</em>. Eds. Stefanos Kaklamanis and Stelios Lampakis (Iraklion, Crete, 2003), n. 63, pp. 117-119.
See Arbel, "Le donne ebree..."
12 February 1522
Greek
Eastern Mediterranean
Italy
Venetian Empire
Assisa, wife of Busacca Levi: Palermo, 1453
Palermo, Sicily
(See Simonsohn, Jews in Sicily, 11, no. 6976)
19 February 1453
Latin
Italy
Astruga, wife of Jucef Abraham: Puigcerdà, 1306
Astruga, wife of Jucef Abraham
Among the fascinating clauses in this will is an attempt by Astruga to prevent her husband, Jucef, from remarrying -- or at least to disincentivize a second marriage. She first leaves to her mother, Fava, 600 Barcelonan sous. But then, she prescribes that her husband should care for her mother's bodily needs all of her mother's life, in which situation the mother should not demand from Jucef the 600 sous. Should he remarry, however, Fava should demand the money from Jucef. <br /><br />TRANSCRIPTION: <br /><br />Astruga uxor Iuceff Abrahe Iudei de Podioceritano, licet sim infirma etc., facio meum testamentum de voluntate dicti viri mei de bonis meis etc. In primis dimitto Fave matri mei DC solidos barchinonenses \ad suam voluntatem/ pro parte, hereditate, legitima, et iure sibi pertinentibus et pertineri debentibus in bonis meis. <br /><br />Et volo et mando quod si dictus Iuceff Abrahe vir meus voluerit providere dicte matri mee in domo sua in cunctis suis corporalibus necessariis in tota vita sua, quod dicta mater mea non possit compellere dictum virum meum ad solvendum sibi denarios ante dictos, dum tamen dictus vir meus non ducat aliam uxorem et velit stare caste. Attamen si dictus vir meus duxerit aliam uxorem, volo quod dicta mater mea possit in continenti compellere dictum virum meum ad solvendum sibi denarios ante dictos.<br /><br />Item dimitto corone \del/1rotle scole Iudeorum Podiiceritani L solidos barchinonenses.<br /><br />Item dimitto Aster et Bonafylla, filiabus meis et dicti viri mei, omnia mea indumenta et preparamenta mea, quecumque habeo. <br /><br />Et cum institucio heredis universalis capud sit et fundamentum cuiuslibet testamenti, in residuis omnibus aliis bonis meis mobilibus et immobilibus dictas Aster et Bonamfiliam filias meas mihi heredes universales instituo. Hanc autem etc. <br /><br />Iuceff vir eius laudo. <br /><br />VIII idus Novembris. <br /><br />Testes rogati: Petrus Salmes, Guillelmus Comdor, Bernardus Colomer, Iacobus Orig, Simon de Pinosa rector ecclesie de Castelar, Bondia Abrahe, Iuceff Coen. Debet V solidos vir. <br /><br />[Transcription in Burns, <em>Jews in the Notarial Culture,</em> pp. 178-179.]
Puigcerdà, Spain
Arxiu Històric Comarcal de Puigcerdà, Spain
Protocols: M. d’Alb/B. Mauri, Liber testamentorum, 1306–1307, fol. 15v
See Burns, <em>Jews in the Notarial Culture</em>, pp. 106-108, 178-179.
6 November 1306
Rena Lauer
Latin
Spain
Iberia