Strategies for old age and agency of the elderly in towns of the Low Countries in the Renaissance
(2021) In Continuity and Change 36(3). p.265-284- Abstract
- Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, the elderly in the distant past could not always rely on voluntary care. Therefore, some of them had to develop strategies to secure assistance during old age. We focus on towns in the Low Countries, where family ties were weak, and ageing individuals likely had to plan for old age. We show how members of the middling layers of society could use wills and retirement contracts to ensure care provided by both kin and non-kin, and also to secure living standards during their final years. By recording such contracts, the elderly remained in control of their lives, despite their advancing years.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/be89d2b8-da91-481b-b399-be5164c9d909
- author
- Zuijderduijn, Jaco LU and Overlaet, Kim LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- retirement contracts, wills, medieval history, early modern history
- in
- Continuity and Change
- volume
- 36
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 20 pages
- publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85125884841
- ISSN
- 1469-218X
- DOI
- 10.1017/S0268416021000291
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- be89d2b8-da91-481b-b399-be5164c9d909
- date added to LUP
- 2022-02-18 16:35:48
- date last changed
- 2022-06-05 04:05:43
@article{be89d2b8-da91-481b-b399-be5164c9d909, abstract = {{Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, the elderly in the distant past could not always rely on voluntary care. Therefore, some of them had to develop strategies to secure assistance during old age. We focus on towns in the Low Countries, where family ties were weak, and ageing individuals likely had to plan for old age. We show how members of the middling layers of society could use wills and retirement contracts to ensure care provided by both kin and non-kin, and also to secure living standards during their final years. By recording such contracts, the elderly remained in control of their lives, despite their advancing years.}}, author = {{Zuijderduijn, Jaco and Overlaet, Kim}}, issn = {{1469-218X}}, keywords = {{retirement contracts; wills; medieval history; early modern history}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{3}}, pages = {{265--284}}, publisher = {{Cambridge University Press}}, series = {{Continuity and Change}}, title = {{Strategies for old age and agency of the elderly in towns of the Low Countries in the Renaissance}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0268416021000291}}, doi = {{10.1017/S0268416021000291}}, volume = {{36}}, year = {{2021}}, }