The Widow, the Gambler, and the Unruly Witnesses: Witness Testimony and Political Agency in a Lawsuit in Early Modern Piedmont
This microhistorical analysis of the witness testimony given during an inheritance dispute between a noble Piedmontese widow and her deceased husband’s nephew focuses on the political agency of witnesses. Although carefully selected and coached by legal counsel, the witnesses for the nephew undermin...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2022
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| In: |
The sixteenth century journal
Year: 2022, Volume: 53, Issue: 4, Pages: 889-913 |
| RelBib Classification: | KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history KBJ Italy XA Law |
| Further subjects: | B
Gambling
B Personal finance B Widows B Historical Analysis B Legal testimony B Witnesses B Gamblers B Piedmont (Italy) |
| Summary: | This microhistorical analysis of the witness testimony given during an inheritance dispute between a noble Piedmontese widow and her deceased husband’s nephew focuses on the political agency of witnesses. Although carefully selected and coached by legal counsel, the witnesses for the nephew undermined his case by repeatedly bringing up his gambling habit and poor money management. Witnesses like these took control of their depositions in order to introduce their own narrative into the judicial record and influence the outcome of a lawsuit. By considering the volatile political context in Piedmont, where a civil war had just ended, this paper argues that witnesses could use their testimony to gain a political voice. These witnesses turned on the litigant who had summoned them and expressed support for his adversary, thereby aligning themselves with the faction that had won the war and perhaps gaining a well-placed patron at the ducal court of Savoy. |
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| ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
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