Illegitimacy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter begins with a discussion of how illegitimacy was defined and discussed in early modern Europe, before exploring how children were cared for both within families and institutions. It highlights how attitudes towards illegitimacy interacted with social practice to shape the world of the illegitimate child. Illegitimacy was not particularly unusual between 1400 and 1700, with between one and five per cent of births occurring outside wedlock in Europe across the period. For some historians, the stigma of illegitimacy and its implications has been overstated. The late medieval Church’s response to illegitimacy reflected not only a desire to encourage chastity amongst the population, but reflected competing ideas about the inheritance of sin amongst theologians. Children born within such relationships did not have the same legal status as a legitimate child, but were generally raised within or alongside the family, receiving education, training, affection and care.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEarly modern childhood
Subtitle of host publicationan introduction
EditorsAnna French
Place of PublicationLondon ; New York
PublisherRoutledge, Taylor and Francis Group
Chapter12
Pages217-34
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)9781315177380
ISBN (Print)9781138038417, 9781138038424
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameEarly Modern Themes
PublisherRoutledge

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Illegitimacy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this