Author: Samuel K. Cohn

A Privileged Peephole into the Past: The Freedom of Married Women?

March 25, 2026

findings

The quantitative context: I have just finished coding the photographs of parchment testaments from the Archivio di Stato, Firenze [hereafter ASF] Diplomatico of the famous Florentine Dominican friary, Santa Maria Novella [hereafter SMN]. Their documents reach back to the late 11th century but, as with every collection within the ASF’s online Diplomatico, end abruptly in 1398.1 Compared with my previously…
A Privileged Peep Hole into the Past: Why large numbers of testaments are needed and how exceptions to rules can be relevant

October 31, 2025

findings

I have just returned from a short stint in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze (ASF), 18 September to 2 October. It may be my last archival collecting of testaments for the project, at least in the ASF. The purpose was to increase the sample size of my last quartile of Pisan testaments,1501-25. These records within…