ScholarWorks > Arts & Sciences > Medieval Institute Publications > medpros > Vol. 39 (2024) > Iss. 1
Abstract
Feminism would encourage us to believe women’s claims of being forced into marriage or mistreated within it. Yet we find these claims in medieval court records, which we know cannot be believed at face value. Women and men knew how to use the ecclesiastical court system and what needed to be alleged to get out of a marriage. This article reviews the various legal means to separation or nullification of a marriage, and draws on examples from jurisdictions across Europe to show how women and men made use of them. It suggests that the different patterns in different jurisdictions are a result of people’s awareness of local court custom and that the social needs that lie behind them may have been quite similar.
Recommended Citation
Karras, Ruth Mazo
(2024)
"Believing Medieval Women,"
Medieval People: Vol. 39:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/medpros/vol39/iss1/3
