marie bláhová Most wills are made by testators at the end of life, supposedly in their right mind, but already aware of imminent death. Another reason for making a will was the undertaking of a distant journey or joining of a war campaign, where the testator again feared for his life. In such cases, however, most of the property was to be returned if the testator survived. Although the earliest surviving last will, the testament of the magnate Nemoj, bears signs of the typical last will, this was not a common feature of most of the written last wills. Many only include the section related to a bequest to a religious institution. It is evident that it was the church institution that pushed for the will to be drawn up and demanded the registration of the property. As of the end of the 12thcentury, last wills dealing with the entirety of the immovable property of the testator were more common (e.g., Hroznata’s and Kojata’s last wills). It was not until the second half of the 13th century that prominent noblemen included their full possessions, movable and immovable property, in the last will under their own seal. Based on individual decisions, they also had the last will secured in writing, without preceding oral provision (e.g., Hartleb of Myslibořice). Instead of waiting until the end of their life or when danger was imminent to write the last will, as was the case in the previous period, some nobles made their last will when they were still in full health, and even changed it, such as OldřichII of Jindřichův Hradec, who wrote his second last will eighteen years before his death. It was not until the end of the 13th century that the first lay wills appeared, in which the testator not only disposes of all his property, and secures the execution of the will through an executor, but also provides for the possibility of changing the will. In their wills, noblewomen disposed of their property, mostly dowry and property that was guaranteed to them by a marriage contract. They generally made bequests in favour of church institutions or their relatives. Testaments of clergy are rare in the Czech lands before the end of the 13th century. In the last quarter of the 13thcentury, a situation arose giving the clergy more reason to issue wills. The clergy generally dealt with their entire property, only distinguishing their hereditary possessions from 317
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