Infanticide: Unsuccessful Women In The 16th Century

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The early modern period mark a surge of European interest in cases of new-born murder. The 16th Century saw infanticide becoming an object of intense literacy, anthropological, and scientific curiosity.

The idea of the monstrous woman highlighted and exposed the fragility, insecurities, convictions, fears, and desires that haunted cultures. The monstrous woman would haunt the imaginations of Europeans.

Links between the notions of the monstrous woman and female sexuality.

The ideas behind the monstrous women were often linked with female sexuality. Common examples of the links assigned to female sexuality include vagina, womb, and menstrual charge. These links assigned to female sexuality were deemed as "contagiously impure".
Public fascination …show more content…

The poor and unwed women were most commonly effected and accused of infanticide and witchcraft. The poor and unwed would also be the target of laws against infanticide.

The fascination and interest of infanticide helped define notions of civilization. Through stories of infanticide, society could draw distinctions between the natural and unnatural woman.

Men were considered the patriarchal head of society. It was believed that without male control, women would turn monstrous.

With the climb in popularity and public interest, infanticide became a topic of debate. With infanticide becoming an object of intense literacy and debate, it was a target for new laws and prosecutions throughout Europe.

The people most commonly effected by the new laws regarding infanticide were poor and unwed women.

During the 16th, 17th, and 18th century, new laws came to be regarding infanticide. These new laws were aimed at discovering and convicting cases of new-born murder.
The 1532 Constitutio Criminalis Carolina was one of the first new laws created to punish infanticide. Women who concealed pregnancy in the event of a child's death was to be presumed as guilty. A woman found guilty of infanticide was to be put to death. England would soon follows these laws under the 1624 English Infanticide

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