Aktuálne číslo

Being a part of everyday medieval life, death was omnipresent and perceived as an inseparable part of the world of the living. The rituals accompanying the dying person, burial, and requiem rites were not individual matters, but societal events. The main aim of this issue is to examine various aspects of pre-death and funeral rituals in the Middle Ages within the context of Central Europe. This includes expressions of solidarity between the living and the dead, preparations for the afterlife of the Hungarian nobility as revealed in preserved medieval testaments, and the donations made by nobles to church institutions. The death of relatives also imposed practical tasks on the survivors, such as burial arrangements and the exercising of inheritance rights. The funeral ceremony provided the last opportunity to demonstrate power and royal majesty. The funeral of a sovereign, similar to a royal coronation, was one of the most important rituals associated with sovereign power. Embalming and preservation techniques, known throughout medieval Europe, were employed both for practical reasons and symbolically. Epidemics, particularly the Black Death, influenced the general behavior towards the dying, which was reflected in the way they were perceived.