Two Craftsmen’s Inventories as Indicators of Social Differences Among the Commoner Population of Late Medieval Split

Abstract

This article analyzes selected property inventories with the aim of determining economic and social differences among the non-noble population of late medieval Split. The focus of the research is on the preserved lists of property belonging to two craftsmen from Split, edited in the Split notary office in the mid-15th century. A paleographical and philological analysis of these sources reveals structural, linguistic, and paleographical uniformity in both documents, in accordance with the contemporary principles of the notarial profession, which ensured the legal validity of such records. However, the content analysis of the sources indicates pronounced economic and social differences within the artisan population of late medieval Split. Both the number of items listed in these sources and the total value of all the property enumerated therein reflect the inequality in material culture and everyday comfort among these members of the commoner class, and, consequently, the differences in their social standing and prestige. The text concludes that the craftsman population of late medieval Split was a highly heterogeneous group, differentiated primarily by their economic circumstances. These disparities in wealth stemmed above all from the (un)profitability of individual crafts, but also from the personal attributes of the craftsmen themselves – their business acumen, technical skill, and social competence within their social environment. The inventories of the two Split craftsmen analysed here clearly illustrate this.