Public Show Trials: Trials of Incompetence in Pre-Revolutionary France

Incompetence trials in pre-revolutionary France may sound like a bit of a political joke.

It was after France had largely suppressed the ability of couples to divorce that impotence trials emerged .

However, due to the religious imperative that sex with a spouse should produce, or at least have the ability to produce, children, when a man fails to uphold his end of the bargain, it is technically An act that violates religion and is a reason to re-evaluate a marriage.

Divorce itself is not a concept to be taken lightly, so it is natural that the accused husband and his possibly lax "tool" would be put on trial , just as women were "examined" before marriage to prove their virginity, if there was doubt that the marriage could not be consummated, or it was obvious that there was no interest in even trying to consummate it, as the following cases of the Marquises of Gus Frith and Langley show

These tests "require an examination of the genitals to prove that the man is able to achieve an erection.

Sometimes judges insist on more detailed evidence of this. Couples can consummate their marriage and request a "Trial by Congress," which forces the couple to attempt intercourse in front of staring, recorded witnesses.

"While not all cases are like 'Trial by Congress,' The previous investigation was very unpleasant, and the bedroom affairs were exposed for public judgment, and the female doctor performed an examination.

Manuscript from the 15th century.

(Public*** Domain ), part of the examination is to investigate the "color, shape and number" of the male genitals.

In reproductive matters, the privacy of the marital room is no longer private, as spouses are involved in all aspects of their bedroom life, Including sexual status were questioned.

Is there any evidence that the husband can work normally, "or is he forcing his partner to do *** things when he has no children?" It is very important for a marriage to produce children. Important.

In fact, there were laws in medieval Europe (set by the Church) that husbands and wives could only have sex as missionaries, as this offered the best chance of conception, Has nothing to do with pleasure.

(Sexual pleasure is considered a sin, even between spouses.

) This is the May 1, 1875 issue of "Sports and Drama" A scene from a jury trial published in News Illustrated magazine.

(Public *** domain) In order to ensure that the above regulations are adhered to, all persons who may be related to the bedroom can be tried.

Maids, servants, etc. are all persons who can be advised by the courts.

Only after these inquiries is a "parliamentary trial" considered, which depends on the collective testimony of the wife, husband, and witnesses assessment, as well as a physical examination of the spouse.

If a satisfactory decision cannot be reached, the couple must undergo a "parliamentary trial", having sex in the middle of the courtroom.

One of the most widely documented trials in France was that of the 18th-century Marquis de Gusfrith, who was accused by his wife.

According to the trial transcript, his wife called Miss Mascarene and claimed that they Three years into their marriage, the Marquis refused to do more than lie stoically next to her in bed, and, when she attempted to illicit his "only a** desire," the Marquis's "organs," as they were documented That, that is to say, the lady reproached the poor Marquis for not being able to stand up, while he painted the frescoes of Priapus, the frescoes of the Palazzo Viti, the frescoes of Pompeii.

(Princess ** *field), although the Marquis avoided bedroom examinations, he was forced to have his "organs" examined multiple times.

However, there even seems to be official regulations on what constitutes a functioning genital: All evidence must point to fertility.

Thus, the Marquis of Gusfrith both won and lost: "His examiners pointed out sternly that they observed an erection, but due to its 'tension, hardness and persistence Time' Therefore, the ability to have an erection is not enough to prove that the man is not impotent.

The Marquis was only saved from divorcing his frustrated wife because of his sudden death.

Otherwise, For the poor Marquis, all signs point to impotence, awaiting judgment, Abraham Solomon, 1859.

(Public *** Domain), a century before the trial of the Marquis of Gusfrith, the Marquess of Ranch was not so lucky to avoid the "Parliamentary Trial".

Marry Four years later he was accused of being sexually impotent, but not as indifferent to sex as Degus Frith.

Both husband and wife were examined and found to be in excellent sexual health, thus It was inferred that Marquis de Ranchi actually deprived his wife of her virginity.

However, Mrs. Ranchi's accusations remained and the trial continued.

She claimed that the Marquis was a harsh lover and seemed completely uninterested in sexual contact with procreative intent.

The Marquis's case was not helped by the fact that his wife had not yet given birth to a child.

Locks, Jean Honore Fragonard, circa 1776-1779.

(Public Domain), remained silent on this point, allowing the Paris Parlement to make the final decision on his incompetence. ruling, in Ranchi's best interests.

He is likely to be declared a competent man and his wife's accusations of impotence were refuted during a preliminary examination.

But Ranch's pride was wounded.

He asked Congress to put him on "trial" to prove that he was fully capable of having children.

Perhaps in "Five Surgeons" The pressure of performing in front of five physicians, five physicians and five female nurses.

Maybe it’s the pressure of knowing that your reputation depends on this one body movement.

Whatever the reason is , Lanci did not publicly announce the divorce, and his wife also received the reward of divorce.

Although these incompetent trials may seem quite widespread to modern people, in circles around the Middle Ages, divorce was very common. Important.

After all, Henry VIII was one of the reasons England divorced his first wife.

Sexual intercourse creating an heir was considered a legally binding written marriage The contract is today.

A person can be married and still not be a legal spouse until the paperwork has been passed. In pre-revolutionary France, this was the case for perfection and posterity.

Although There are other ways to test a man's virility and a woman's fertility today, but the Marquess of Gusfrith and Langley tried it in the only way their culture knew how.

To be sure Said, both approaches may be preferred today, Above: Venus and Mars, c 1485.

Tempera and oil on poplar panel, National Gallery, London.

(Public domain), by Riley Winters, Abbott, Elizabeth. 2000. The History of Celibacy. Simon and Schuster.

356 pages, Bannister, Laura .2016. "A Hard Trial: Erectile Dysfunction and Divorce in Pre-Revolutionary France," The Paris Review.

Accessed December 28, 2017.

theparisreview.

org/blog/2016/05/18/the hard on trial/, "Chronicle of the Cuckold: Adult Selection" original text, ***, imbecile, arrogant, &c.

(Editor: Text Creation Partnership, 2002) Boston.

Accessed December 27, 2017.

quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N25328.0001.001 Damon, Pierre. 1985. The Impotence Trial: Masculinity and Marriage in Prerevolutionary France.

"Erectile Dysfunction in the Middle Ages" ——Historians study cases of medieval impotence, 2012.

Medievalist.

Accessed on December 29, 2017.

medievalists.

/2012/08/Medieval Erectile Dysfunction Historians Study Medieval Impotence Cases/, Hoffman, Stephanie.20

2009. "Closeness: Incompetent Judgments and Military Policy Rights Across History," Boston University Law Review. Article 89.5 Riley Winters, a recent graduate of Christopher Newport University, received degrees in Classical Studies and Art History, with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

She will attend the University of Glasgow in 2015, majoring in Celtic and Viking Archeology, .ReadMor.