5 A similar situation is known in other European regions. Makó 2014, p. 283. 6 As Wysmułek 2021, p. 31, states, “The reception of Roman law and its gradual penetration into the codification of customary laws were important in ensuring wills their theoretical legal basis”. 7 Ramos 1991. 8 Melo 2020, pp. 56−71. The institution maria cristina cunha Although it does not contain the usual introduction to a last will, this document from 1329 gives us some indications as to how generally this type of instrument could be drawn up at the beginning of the 14th century, in the northwest region of Portugal. Generally, testaments provide little information about the process before their production. This case shows us that (at least) the canons of Guimarães at the beginning of the 14th century were aware of the need to have a legal document in order to execute the last will of a testator; that is to say, a private document (that already existed but was not authenticated by a notary public) was not enough to execute the bequests according to the wishes of a specific person. That is why, very shortly before the death of Master Fernando, another canon of Guimarães sought to ensure the validity and legality of the manda that had already been written.5 This means that the legal framework for drawing up wills, brought about by the reintroduction of Roman Law that occurred since the 11th century, was known, and that its application was common practice in medieval Portugal.6 The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria da Oliveira in Guimarães was founded in 1139 under the protection of the parents of Afonso I, the first king of Portugal, succeeding the ancient Monastery of Guimarães (which was founded c. 950).7 Located in the political center of the Condado Portucalense, it was attended by an ecclesiastical community which, throughout the Middle Ages, maintained close relations with the royal and episcopal powers (that were not always peaceful, it must be said),8 establishing ties with local society both from a religious point of view, to provide its faithful with the worship, and from a social and economic point of view, to ensure its continued existence. Initially, this congregation 537
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