The 'last words'. The notary’s mediating role in the end of life

Abstract

The fundamental role of the notary as mediator in drafting wills is analyzed through the rich collection of notarial documents dating from the 12^th and 13^th centuries and preserved in the Archivio di Stato di Genova. The registers that have come down to us contain numerous last wills structured according to the so-called Bolognese model and thus offer the possibility of observing these professionals at work from the second half of the 12^th century onward, precisely when the Roman will was rediscovered.