“Se o auees por ydoneo e perteencente”. Concerning the activity of the notaries public of Lisbon during the 14th and 15th centuries

Abstract

In Portugal the medieval notary public has been the subject of study by several authors in recent years. However, the discussion around the process involving the exercise of this activity is still insufficient. Based on royal legislation, we will approach the medieval Portuguese notarial public reality through the presentation of some practical examples. The focus of this paper is not the study of the Lisbon notary public, but the reflection on some aspects that involved the exercise of this activity, from the obligation of the examination to the elaboration of the notes and registers. From a diplom of King D. Fernando (1367-83), preserved in the Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa and copied in a codex known as Livro dos pregos, which was published in 2016, we present some ideas on the subject taking also into account complementary information evident in several documents of the parliament (documentos das Cortes) and of the Royal Chancery also copied in the same codex.