Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 18754
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Saradi-Mendelovici , Helen.
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: A Contribution to the Study of the Byzantine Notarial Formulas: The "infirmitas sexus" of Women and the "senatusconsultum Velleianum" [The author traces two notarial formulae that were commonly used in legal documents under Roman and Byzantine law: the “infirmitas sexus” (the legal designation of the inferiority of women as a natural characteristic) and the “senatusconsultum Velleianum” (a set of imperial provisions and restrictions imposed upon women). Both of these formulae appear in the middle to late Byzantine periods, where the Byzantine legislation perpetuates ancient restrictions on women’s legal capacities. The natural inferiority of women was often cited as the reason for why imperial legislation must protect and limit their actions. Appendix includes a list of relevant notarial documents in chronological order, including the parties involved , the notary who drew up the document, the location, and the legal formulation used. Title note supplied by Feminae.].
  • Source: Byzantinische Zeitschrift 83, ( 1990): Pages 72 - 90.
  • Description:
  • Article Type: Journal Article
  • Subject (See Also): Byzantium Charters and Diplomatics Gender Historians Law- Language Latin Language Manuscripts Notaries Public and Private Spheres Social Change Social History Women's Status
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: Eastern Mediterranean
  • Century: 13- 14
  • Primary Evidence: Manuscripts; Author consults thirty three notarial documents from the Byzantine Empire ranging in date from 897 to 1419. The vast majority of the documents were produced in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and all the documents use the Greek equivalents of the
  • Illustrations:
  • Table: Appendix includes a list of relevant notarial documents in chronological order, including the parties involved , the name of the notary who drew up the document, the location, and the legal formulation used.
  • Abstract:
  • Related Resources:
  • Author's Affiliation:
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 1990.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN/ISBN: 00077704