preface 9 hisvolume assembles papers presented at the 17th Congress of the Commission internationale de diplomatique (cid). The congress –Tes1 In the English articles of the book, the terms “will” and “testament” will generally be used, unless otherwise specified, without intending any real difference in meaning between them. Ttaments as Historical Documents – was organised in Stockholm on 20–22 September 2023 by the CIDin close co-operation with the Centre for Medieval Studies (Stockholm University) and the Swedish National Archives. Today, a written will or testament1 is the accepted legal form for persons expressing their wishes as to how their property is to be distributed after their death. The practice of making a will seems to be in use more or less all over the world, and it has been so for a very long time. The concept of a testament is universal; the CIDwith its members at this meeting chose to focus on the European Middle Ages and the early modern period. Twenty-seven papers were presented from different angles and perspectives and they are all published in this volume. The days in Stockholm proved that the testament as a document can be used as a basis for scientific studies in many ways. TheCIDwishes to promote studies on the form of the written acts, their elaboration and their use, and it is evident from the articles in this book that diplomatics and all kinds of formal aspects involved in the writing of wills are central questions. It is also quite natural that many of the articles treat and compare a variety of legal procedures and implications. Testaments can vary in form and content even in neighbouring countries and regions, and a number of geographical differences can be seen in this volume; there are as well some fundamental recurring similarities. The subjects treated in the book are many and varied. Some articles treat testaments of noblemen, others the work of public notaries who composed testaments for others but also for themselves. Still others dis-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=