Décrire la violence maritale au Moyen Âge. Exemples aragonais et anglais (xive-xvie siècles)

Abstract

Marital violence is one aspect of married life. It was perfectly accepted in the Middle Ages that a man might discipline his wife when required. Therefore, when women wanted to be granted a divorce in the ecclesiastical courts, they had to prove that their husbands had overstepped the bounds of marital correction. The description of the husbands’ violence in terms of abuse and cruelty aimed at convincing the judge that it was impossible for the wives to remain with their husbands. These cases demonstrate what kinds of violence were not deemed acceptable.

Keywords

• violence
• cruelty
• insanity
• death
• spousal