In recent years historical studies on adoption and fosterage have greatly advanced, very likely due to the importance that such practices have acquired in our own societies. Also in the past - not only during Roman or Late Antique periods, but throughout the Middle Ages and the Modern Era as well - a rather significant number of family units went through adoption and fosterage, experiencing these kinds of ties and relationships on the daily basis. Articles collected in this volume are aimed at analysing the various forms and methods by means of which the concept of "adoption" was interpreted and practiced during the Medieval and Early Modern periods, identifying especially relevant chronological points, examples from different regional and local contexts, reciprocal influences, and family relationships shaped by adoption.