Zwischen dynastischer Räson und persönlicher Motivation: Fürstliche Witwer und ihre Handlungsspielräume im spätmittelalterlichen Reich (1250-1550)
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The project “Zwischen dynastischer Räson und Persönlicher Motivation: Fürstliche Witwer und ihre Handlungsspielräume im spätmittelalterlichen Reich (1250–1550)” (Between dynastic reason and personal motivation: Princely widowers and their room for manoeuvre in the late medieval empire (1250–1550)) focused on the desideratum of “male widowhood” in the named period. In addition to working out the quantity and motives for at least ten years of celibacy after the death of the wife(s), the effects on the room for manoeuvre of the widowed princes, according to Oliver Auge's concept, were also a central object of research. On the basis of 58 princes, an average widowhood of about 18 years could be calculated. At the personal level, the prevailing view of historiographical research, according to which dynastic reasons caused a long or lifelong widowhood, could be further nuanced by considering political, financial, religious, personal etc. motives. However, in contrast to their female counterparts, the years of widowhood were not an identity-forming or legal factor, so that there is a lack of attributions of the term “widower” from others and from the widowers to themselves. In the reporting period, the last archival records were incorporated and the writing of the overall results continued. By organising the international conference ”Witwerschaft. epochenübergreifend. Transdisziplinär” (Widowhood. across epochs. transdisciplinary) and the anthology currently being completed, the project was able to stimulate research on the same topic outside of the medieval studies.
