Dote, antefatto, augmentum dotis: costruire il patrimonio delle donne in Liguria nei secoli XII e XIII

The rich and varied extant Genoese and Ligurian sources enable to consider the dowry from as early as the second half of the twelfth century, immediately after the abolition of the tercia, which, as is well known, is the first step in the process of deterioration of women's property rights observable in the late medieval Italian communes. The essay considers the link between dowry and marriage, highlighting that at least until the end of the period considered here no clear way existed that could guarantee with absolute certainty the validity of a marriage. A discussion on the evolution of the law governing dowry, perfectly balanced between protection and exclusion, ensues. Much attention is devoted to the information obtained from the acts of practice: from the constitution of dowry, and the family and conjugal strategies it entailed, to the fluidity of the dotal fund, which could be increased (augmentum dotis) or transformed, to the difficulties endured by widows reclaiming their dowries. A very complex picture emerges, testifying to the extreme variety of situations and the flexibility of the dowry.