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Grave concerns : Entailment and intergenerational agency in Amsterdam (1600-1800).

Zuijderduijn, Jaco LU (2011) In The History of the Family 16(4). p.343-353
Abstract

The entail was one of the few instruments that allowed pre-industrial testators to organize long-term strategies with respect to asset management: it allowed them to decide which goods descendants could alienate, and also after how many generations restrictions would be lifted. This article looks into the somewhat neglected topic of entailment in merchant towns, and thus contributes to our understanding of the goals urban testators set with respect to asset management, both for themselves and their descendants. Evidence from Amsterdam suggests that many testators were inclied to create long-term strategies once improvements had been made to the institutional framework surrounding the entail. Our analysis indicates that they were... (More)

The entail was one of the few instruments that allowed pre-industrial testators to organize long-term strategies with respect to asset management: it allowed them to decide which goods descendants could alienate, and also after how many generations restrictions would be lifted. This article looks into the somewhat neglected topic of entailment in merchant towns, and thus contributes to our understanding of the goals urban testators set with respect to asset management, both for themselves and their descendants. Evidence from Amsterdam suggests that many testators were inclied to create long-term strategies once improvements had been made to the institutional framework surrounding the entail. Our analysis indicates that they were particularly looking for ways to prevent descendants from squandering patrimonial goods, but without reducing liquidity. This 'intergenerational agency problem' was solved by allowing groups of descendants to file requests to have entails cancelled.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
agency, entails, family, fideicommissum, lineage, pre-industrial
in
The History of the Family
volume
16
issue
4
pages
11 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:80055068008
ISSN
1081-602X
DOI
10.1016/j.hisfam.2011.06.004
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
b7b796d6-de0a-42df-8797-d8ad8a958d59
date added to LUP
2016-09-15 16:06:36
date last changed
2022-01-30 06:02:51
@article{b7b796d6-de0a-42df-8797-d8ad8a958d59,
  abstract     = {{<p>The entail was one of the few instruments that allowed pre-industrial testators to organize long-term strategies with respect to asset management: it allowed them to decide which goods descendants could alienate, and also after how many generations restrictions would be lifted. This article looks into the somewhat neglected topic of entailment in merchant towns, and thus contributes to our understanding of the goals urban testators set with respect to asset management, both for themselves and their descendants. Evidence from Amsterdam suggests that many testators were inclied to create long-term strategies once improvements had been made to the institutional framework surrounding the entail. Our analysis indicates that they were particularly looking for ways to prevent descendants from squandering patrimonial goods, but without reducing liquidity. This 'intergenerational agency problem' was solved by allowing groups of descendants to file requests to have entails cancelled.</p>}},
  author       = {{Zuijderduijn, Jaco}},
  issn         = {{1081-602X}},
  keywords     = {{agency; entails; family; fideicommissum; lineage; pre-industrial}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{343--353}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{The History of the Family}},
  title        = {{Grave concerns : Entailment and intergenerational agency in Amsterdam (1600-1800).}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hisfam.2011.06.004}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.hisfam.2011.06.004}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}