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History Medieval

A Poisoned Past

The Life and Times of Margarida de Portu, a Fourteenth-Century Accused Poisoner

by (author) Steven Bednarski

Publisher
University of Toronto Press, Higher Education Division
Initial publish date
May 2014
Category
Medieval, France, Study & Teaching
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781442607712
    Publish Date
    May 2014
    List Price
    $55.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781442604773
    Publish Date
    Apr 2014
    List Price
    $34.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442604797
    Publish Date
    Apr 2014
    List Price
    $20.95

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Out of print

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Description

This is the story of Margarida de Portu, a fourteenth-century French medieval woman accused of poisoning her husband to death. As Bednarski points out, the story is important not so much for what it tells us about Margarida but for how it illuminates a past world. Through the depositions and accusations made in court, the reader learns much about medieval women, female agency, kin networks, solidarity, sex, sickness, medicine, and law.

Unlike most histories, this book does not remove the author from the analysis. Rather, it lays bare the working methods of the historian. Throughout his tale, Bednarski skillfully weaves a second narrative about how historians "do" history, highlighting the rewards and pitfalls of working with primary sources.

The book opens with a chapter on microhistory as a genre and explains its strengths, weaknesses, and inherent risks. Next is a narrative of Margarida's criminal trial, followed by chapters on the civil suits and appeal and Margarida's eventual fate. The book features a rough copy of a court notary, a notorial act, and a sample of a criminal inquest record in the original Latin. A timeline of Margarida's life, list of characters, and two family trees provide useful information on key people in the story. A map of late medieval Manosque is also provided.

About the author

Steven Bednarski is Associate Professor in the Department of History at St. Jerome's University in the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Curia: A Social History of a Proven�al Criminal Court in the Fourteenth Century (2013).

Steven Bednarski's profile page