Sacred Charity : Confraternities and Social Welfare in Spain, 1400-1700

A study of medieval confraternities and their almsgiving activities, which Flynn believes created the first comprehensive welfare system in Western Europe. She also incorporates a study of late medieval society and its religious ideology and looks at the motivation of the confraternities. Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-11 The Confraternal Structure of Zamora....Pages 12-43 The Charitable Activities of Confraternities....Pages 44-74 Welfare Reform: Attempts to Displace Charity....Pages 75-114 The Catholic Reformation and Tradition....Pages 115-145 Back Matter....Pages 146-200