Witnesses, Neighbors, and Community in Late Medieval Marseille [Hardcover]

This book asks how, in a time of crisis, medieval citizens developed an independent sense of ethics. Witness testimonies from Marseille's court records offer a small window into the neighborhoods of Marseille and reveal how humble people, often women, used the role of witness to become the arbiters of their communities.Introduction 1: The Political, Legal, and Moral Landscape 2: The Record, the Restrictions, and the Roles of Witnesses 3: All in the Family: Wealth and Poverty, Grief and Inheritance 4: The Law, The Neighbors, And the Mad: Conflicts over Managing Disorder 5: In the Wake of Violence: Witnesses Rebuilding their Communities Conclusion

[An] engaging and beautifully written book. -Medieval Feminist Forum

Witnesses, Neighbors, and Community in Late Medieval Marseille takes a creative approach to legal history that considers witnesses' narratives and how they conveyed communal judgments in a judicial context, perhaps with some irony, since the judicial resolutions to most cases were not recorded or did not survive. Through her interpretation of the testimonies, McDonough has illuminated the social history of late medieval Marseille, shedding light on gender roles, attitudes toward Jews, class distinctions, and interactions among families and neighbors. Solidly researched and well argued, this book offers a fascinating peek into the lives of the men and women of medieval Marseille. - The Medieval Review