“A Hot-tempered,Capricious,Jealous and Compassionless wife”: Marital Conflicts and Homicide in Pardon Letters of Burgundy and the Low Countries (1450–1535)

Abstract

This study examines marital homicide in late medieval Burgundian pardon letters (1450–1535). These letters offer detailed narratives on marriages gone wrong, often ending in the husband killing his spouse. This article analyzes how spousal violence is presented, with the aim of enhancing our understanding of medieval beliefs on (im)proper conduct between spouses. It focuses on three strategies used in pardon letters: presenting violence as a balanced measure, discrediting wifely behavior, and leveraging emotions. The findings illustrate how pardon letters reflect contemporary struggles with the limits of permissible violence and provide insights into the norms and values regarding marriages.