Figli dell'ospedale. La gestione dell’infanzia abbandonata a Palermo nel XV secolo

Abstract

The historiography of central and northern Italy produced several studies on the care of abandoned children, thanks to the good condition of the sources. Instead, the historiographical framework of the Sicilian cities is xtremely poor. In the case of Palermo, the absence of works dedicated to the topic of the foundlings can be explained by the dispersion of the documents stored in the historical archive of the Ospedale Grande (Great Hospital). So focusing on the welfare policy of this institution is very difficult, especially for Middle Ages. The essay intends to investigate on the policies about abandoned children chosen by the city of Palermo and the Ospedale Grande at the end of the Fifteenth Century by using unpublished documents, i.e. the chapters about the care of abandoned children presented in 1480 by the rectors of the Ospedale Grande of Palermo to the city authorities for approval.