LAST WILS AND TESTAMENTS AS A SOURCE FOR THE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE NOBILITY. A METHODOLOGICAL CASE : THRE 15TH CENTURY LAST WILLS AND TESTAMENTS FROM THE VALADARES LINEAGE

The identification and study of the lineages which made up the galician nobility pyramid in the Late Middle Ages must be based on a meticulous analysis of the sources, amoung which the most noteworthy are wills of testament due to there rich quantity of information. The objective of this work is to offer some preliminary ideas regarding this type of document. By examining diferent tendencies and describing methodologies, it is possible to make the best use of the information held within these documents in order to improve the study of the social history of the nobility. This work includes the publication and commentary of the wills of testament of three members of the Valladares lineage from the Late Middle Ages.