Femmes de Venise et Chioggia: mutations sociales et salines au XIVe siècle. Matériaux pour une histoire

Abstract

At the end of the Middle Ages, ownership of salt pans was divided between the Venetian aristocracy, both secular and monastic, and the bourgeoisie of Chioggia, who entrusted the work to sharecroppers. The article distinguishes between permanent ownership and temporary possession of the same property. Women were not excluded from these different statuses, as evidenced by wills and, above all, dowries, which wives retained ownership of. Women were either owners, simple possessors, or operators. As the work was hard and difficult, few women cultivated salt pans or carried the harvested salt. As possessors, they had to wait for their husbands to die and become widows before they could inherit their rights. The double siege of Chioggia during the war led to the destruction of many salt pans, and during their reconstruction, many widows who were unable to pay the restoration costs abandoned their rights to wealthy men, who thus strengthened their fortunes and concentrated the ownership of what made Chioggia rich.