Tatiana Soboleva Department of Chemistry and Geology.

Premarital Sexuality Among Young People in

Eighteenth-Century France

Tatiana SobolevaDepartment of Chemistry and Geology

“…and they lived happily

ever after”

What do we know about courtship in 18th century Europe? Current Research:

Close parental supervision of marriage Strict regulation of couple formation by state and

church Historians have started to question this model

Picture shown represents "Contract de Mariage" d'apres le tableau original de Jean Steen

Overview:

How do paternity suits help us understand

couple formation- a dynamic behavioral system?

How do we identify and define courtship using witness depositions?

Do witness depositions shed light on courtship patterns?

My Research Focus

image taken from: https://www.google.com/search?q=french+map&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KtxHU9brFaGF2QXWnIHYAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=565#q=french+map+with+Dijon&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=p8-Jrw9gpRCFEM%253A%3Bc6jWfqQzg2-DiM%3Bhttp%25

Why France, Dijon?Area of our research interest

• Typical city of 10,500 inhabitants

• Provincial Administrative capital

Data related to 1740, youth population being considered inhabitants under 30 years old. Benoit Garnot, Vivre en Bourgogne au XVIII-e siècle (Dijon, 1996), 22.

Dijon’s Demographic Characteristics

Total Dijon Population (~10,500 inhabitants)

Youth- 59%

Paternity suits contain : Original complaint filed by women or

somebody else on their behalf Declarations of pregnancy produced

by the women and court officials or notaries

Witness depositions Interrogations of the defendants Court Decisions Attachments: Love Letters, Bans de

Marriage

Research Methods…

pictures taken from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Alice+in+Wonderland&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=L_1HU-jnFOPz2QW6qIGAAQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=565#q=alice+in+wonderland+book+original+cover+by+lewis+carroll&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=5SuxLM

Research Magnitude

12 court cases~ 600 pages

Archives Départementales de la Côte d’Or (Dijon, France), B2 360 147 (1702)

Original complaint

Official format to addressing the

judgeIntroducing the

plaintiff and or her family

The body of the complaint


Witness DepositionDate of witness deposition

Witness responsibility agreement

Information about witness name, age, social status

Body of the deposition

Witness approval of recorded deposition, his/her signature



Interrogation

Official heading format that contains: time, place, and name of judge that performed interrogation

Interrogation body


Love Letters…


Bans de Marriage

What is the role of witnesses?How are they chosen? Is there any statistical sex

dominance among witnesses?

05

101520253035

Male WitnessesFemale witnesses

02468

10121416


6.46.66.8

77.27.47.67.8

8


Total Number of witnesses (all age categories)

Number of young witnesses (less than 30 years old)

“Mobile social elements” among young witnesses

Space : church, park zone, boutiques,

parental house, etc. Time : Fete de Noel (Christmas), Fete

de Paques (Easter), etc. Signs : talk together, walk together,

presents exchange, share dinner, etc.

Time, space, signs…


Robert vs PelletierOctober 1703

Dec.

Jan. Feb.

Mars Avril Mai Juin Juillet Aout Sept.

Mort de Pere Pelletier

Start frequentation

Flowers & letter exchange

Assiduous frequentation

Shared dinner

Possible conception time

Exchange of presents: sweets and liquor

Meetings, common pastime

Signing Bans de Marriage

5 months pregnancy report

Ring present

tutoyage

Church

Church, house, boutique

Travel together to Paris

Parental House

Witness depositions offer a unique perspective on courtship

Witnesses provide information on time, space, and signs that allow historians to identify the phases of the relationship

The collection of witnesses present a dynamic rather than static picture of courtship

Conclusion/Significance

ADCO, B2 360 150-152, 1702-1705. Benoît Garnot, Vivre en Bourgogne au XVIIIe siècle (Dijon:

Éditions universitaires de Dijon, 1996), 26. Christine Lamarre, “La population de la Bourgogne à la fin du

XVIIIe siècle à travers le dénombrement Amelot (1786),” Annales de Bourgogne 55 (1983) : 65-99.

Christopher Corley, “Gender, Kin, and Guardianship in Early Modern Burgundy,” in Family, Gender, and Law in Early Modern France, ed. Suzanne Desan and Jeffrey Merrick (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2009), 183-222.

Colin Heywood, “Innocence and Experience: Sexuality among Young People in Modern France, c. 1750-1950,” French History 21 (2007): 44-64.

Gottleib, “The Meaning of Clandestine Marriage,” 52. Isambert, Decrussy, and Tallandier, eds., Receuil général des

anciennes lois françaises, depuis l’an 420, jusqu’à la révolution de 1789, 29 vols (Paris : Belin-Leprieur, 1829), 13: 469-471.

Bibliography

Faculty Advisor Dr. Christopher Corley,

department of History, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Minnesota State Foundation grant support via Undergraduate Research Center at Minnesota State University Mankato

Acknowledgements

Thank you for Attention!!!

Questions?

ADCO, B2 360 150-152, 1702-1705. Benoît Garnot, Vivre en Bourgogne au XVIIIe siècle (Dijon:

Éditions universitaires de Dijon, 1996), 26. Christine Lamarre, “La population de la Bourgogne à la fin du

XVIIIe siècle à travers le dénombrement Amelot (1786),” Annales de Bourgogne 55 (1983) : 65-99.

Christopher Corley, “Gender, Kin, and Guardianship in Early Modern Burgundy,” in Family, Gender, and Law in Early Modern France, ed. Suzanne Desan and Jeffrey Merrick (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2009), 183-222.

Colin Heywood, “Innocence and Experience: Sexuality among Young People in Modern France, c. 1750-1950,” French History 21 (2007): 44-64.

Gottleib, “The Meaning of Clandestine Marriage,” 52. Isambert, Decrussy, and Tallandier, eds., Receuil général des

anciennes lois françaises, depuis l’an 420, jusqu’à la révolution de 1789, 29 vols (Paris : Belin-Leprieur, 1829), 13: 469-471.

Bibliography

If focusing on witness role in court cases:

observe the profession, age, sex, type of information provided in relation to peer grouping

If focusing in the phase of pregnancy of the plaintiff: observe the development of regional medical science coupled with the rural/urban social classes medical knowledge

If focusing on the legal changes: analyze the state, court, church, and social classes interaction and mutual influences

Further investigation…

Tatiana Soboleva Department of Chemistry and Geology.

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