ePub Enjoy the Same Liberty: Black Americans and the Revolutionary Era (The African American History Series) by Edward Countryman in History

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.