The language of abuse : : marital violence in later medieval England / / by Sara M. Butler.

• Superior document: Later medieval Europe, v. 2
• Author: Butler, Sara M.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2007.
• Year of Publication: 2007
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Later medieval Europe ; v. 2.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (x, 286 pages) :; illustrations
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The Language of Abuse provides the first comprehensive examination of marital violence in later medieval England. Drawing from a wide variety of legal and literary sources, this book develops a nuanced perspective of the acceptability of marital violence at a time when social expectations of gender and marriage were in transition. As such, Butler’s work contributes to current debates concerning the role of the jury, levels of violence in late medieval England, the power relationship within marriage, and the position of women in medieval society.

Table of Contents

Setting the scene: discourses of passivity and violence -- Types and frequency of abuse in the medieval law courts -- Causes of marital tension -- The acceptability of marital violence: six case studies -- Regulating marital violence: the family and the community -- Scolds, personal liability, and marital violence.