Question for anyone vaguely knowledgable about Europe in the 1500's

[Mass_Liberal]

This is for the sake of settling an argument. Ok, here's the question:

In the mid 16th century, in Europe, more specifically England, if a women was found to be adulterous, would either the husband or the state have the right to put her to death? If not, what was the punishment for adultery at this time.

[skygazer]

1. I'm not sure about the law

But divorce was actually an option. I don't think, if execution was actually an option, it was anything commonly done - I think more often than not, a woman might be divorced or sent to a convent.

I'm not an historian but I read a good deal of history, much of it that period. The only reason Henry VIII was able to execute wives for adultery was because it was considered treason when it was the king who was the husband.

edited to make more sense.

[rzemanfl]

2. Don't know about then but now,

if you are an adulterous man, George Bush tries to put you in charge of homeland security.

[Mass_Liberal]

3. bump

please help me!

[enigami]

7. depends on the social status of the woman involved

various punishments

Death
Scarlet letter
public humiliation

[Maple]

4. Well in 1542

Catherine Howard, wife of Henry VIII was beheaded for adultery.

[amazona]

10. she was beheaded for treason

As queen it was treason to screw around on the king.

As another poster said, it was a status thing. It wasn't enough to just commit adultery or they would have depopulated Europe considering human nature for what it is. But, yeah, queens were certainly executed for adultery because they had transferred their loyalty from their king.

[Xithras]

5. No, not for commoners

In the merchant and aristocratic classes, adultery would likely lead to divorce. The woman would be sent back to her fathers family, and since she would be "unmarriable" she would either become some sort of nanny or be sent to a convent.

The lower classes generally didn't "marry" as we know it today. Back then any man and woman who declared themselves man and wife simply WERE man and wife. If the woman were adulterous, he could simply leave her or throw her out (at his discretion). If he could prove adultery, she would have no legal recourse for either claiming custody of her children or property and support.

Of course, there were local traditions as well. A woman who had a single fling probably wouldn't see any legal action, but a woman who consistently screwed around, ESPECIALLY if she screwed around with other womens husbands, could find herself in stocks for awhile or even driven out of town...but never executed or tortured.

[GCP]

6. I'm English - I've never heard of a woman being put to death for adultery

in the 1500s. They had the stocks to put people in and get pelted with rotten fruit and veggies. Witches were put to death, so maybe if the husband wanted to "cook up a story" about her, maybe the state would take care of her for him?

[demosincebirth]

9. Why did Henry the Vlll chop the heads off a couple of his wives?

Did it have to do with divorce or adultry?

[GCP]

11. He divorced his first, Catherine of Aragon, because she couldn't produce

an heir. Catherine had been the wife of Henry's older brother. The brother died young and Henry married her. He tired of her in time, and when she couldn't produce an heir, divorced her (by then he had the hots for Anne Boleyn). The divorce was very unpopular with the people and they called Boleyn a whore. When she had a stillborn boy and then a girl baby (Elizabeth I), he made up the story that the marriage was cursed and had evidence manufactured that she had slept with her brother among others. That gave him the "excuse " to have her executed - so to answer your question, I guess it had to do with adultery with Boleyn and his later wife Kathryn Howard. His other wives were either divorced or died.
But for the man in the street, I'm pretty sure women weren't put to death for committing adultery, but I could be wrong.

[demosincebirth]

13. thanks for the info.

[mairceridwen]

8. they wore cool pants

that's all i know


and I don't even know that


i do know that though


which is about all I do know

[Undercover Owl]

12. had buttons been invented yet?

or were they still wearing tunics?

[mairceridwen]

14. ah dunno!!!

they just looked COOL