Maternal rule. Affection, power, and patrimony expressed through testamentary wills (15th-16th centuries)

Abstract

«Maternal rule» is the expression used by a Spanish noblewoman from the kingdom of Seville in her last will and testament, written in the 16th century, to justify the authority she holds over her children. Based on the hypothesis that this is not merely her own individual perception, but rather that it corresponds to her experiences living within a specific emotional community, this paper carries out a comparative analysis with the testaments of two other women from the same territory and social group, with a view to understanding their maternal affective experiences. The documentation examined spans almost a century and includes information and instructions that characterise the lives and lifestyles of three women: María de Mendoza (+1493), Catalina de Ribera (+1505), and María Andrea Coronel de Guzmán y Sotomayor (+1589). However, they are written from the subjective perspective of a woman facing death, who wishes to retain her influence and at times control over her children even after she has disappeared from their lives, reflecting on her own soul. The main conclusions reached would indicate that they belonged to the same emotional community: Christian, aristocratic, with a gender role assignation that did not prevent them from exercising rule in certain areas, especially when they became widowed and gained authority over their children. However, they experience motherhood differently depending on whether their children are adults or still minors as the mothers face death. But above all, the way in which they exercise their motherhood is influenced by their personalities and predisposition. In any case, they use their last will and testament to give orders and advice to their descendants through a language that shows their motherly affections and disaffections. These are documents through which they can settle emotional scores through their legacies with a view to expressly leaving their children on the same or different footings. And, finally, beyond biological motherhood, we see how the caregiving role taken on by these women extends through affection or responsibility to other members of the social group.