"I will never consent to be wedded with you!" Coerced Marriage in the Courts of Medieval England.

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  • Author(s): Butler, Sara M.
  • Source:
    Canadian Journal of History. Aug2004, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p247-270. 24p.
  • Additional Information
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    • Abstract:
      This paper asks us to rethink the boundaries between consent and coercion in medieval England. From gentle persuasion to threats and abuse, coercion was a part of the courtship process. Although late medieval society expected parents to play an active, even heavy-handed, role in matchmaking, the English church recognized the possibility that parents might cross the line between influence and force, and consequently permitted annulments on these grounds. What happened when it was not the parents, but an overly zealous suitor who coerced a marriage? Very few Englishwomen brought suits of force and fear against their husbands. Those few documented cases of coerced marriage that have survived from the York cause papers of the later Middle Ages reveal how the victims perceived their own situations, and the ways litigants used the church courts to address these concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
      Dans cet article, on nous demande de repenser aux limites entre le consentement et la contrainte dans l'Angleterre médiévale. De douce persuasion aux menaces et abus, la contrainte fit partie de la démarche des fréquentations. Quoique la société de la fin du Moyen-Âge s'attendait à ce que les parents jouent un rôle actif, voire même agressif dans le rôle d'entremetteurs, l'Eglise anglicane admettait la possibilité que les parents pourraient dépasser les bornes entre l'influence et la force et c 'est pourquoi elle permettait les annulations pour cette raison. Qu 'arriva-t 'il lorsque ce n 'était pas les parents mais un prétendant trop zélé qui contraignait au mariage? Très peu de femmes anglaises engagèrent des poursuites contre leurs maris à cause de violence ou de peur. Le peu de documents des procès qui ont survécu des causes de la cour d'York de la fin du Moyen-Age nous révèlent comment les victimes percevaient leurs propres situations et comment les plaideurs se servaient de l 'église pour aborder ces problèmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
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