List of illustrations page viii List of tables xi List of graphs xiii Abbreviations xiv Introduction 1 The origin of incest prohibitions 2 Aim of the present study 6 Interaction, the creation of norms, and social control 8 Material and methodology Laws and parliamentary material Judgement-book material Applications for dispensation Analysing the material The complexity of incestuous relationships Research on incest Outline 1 Background and context The early modern judicial system The secular judicial structure The ecclesiastical structure The Christian incest prohibition in a historical perspective 2 Incest: a religious crime, 1680-1750 Applications for dispensation Marriage: an alliance based on feelings and reason The prohibitions are challenged Relationship categories vi Contents Virtuous or depraved love Balancing between the legal and the illegal Additional uncertain definitions Criminal cases The punishments The court: a flexible practice The statistics of the crime Accusation and confession Mitigating and aggravating circumstances Violence and exploitation Love and passion Kinship The local community In preparation for the Civil Code of 1734 Partial summary and overview, 1680-1750 3 Incest: a moral crime, 1750-1840 In the Age of Enlightenment The development of jurisprudence Applications for dispensation An increase in the number of applications for marriage Illustrations 1 Hundred-court judgment book from the eighteenth century. Photo: VLA 2 In February 1730, the two cousins Nils Arvidsson and Ingeborg Bengtsdotter applied for permission to marry. Judiciary Inspection, draft, 1730, 3 June, Nils Arvidsson, Ingeborg Bengtsdotter. Photo: RA 3 The hundred-court judge led the hearing of criminal cases at the local courts. Drawing by Göte Göransson (1921-2015), by permission of his family 4 Johan Stiernhöök (1596-1675). Stiernhöök was elevated to the nobility in 1649 and has been called 'the father of Swedish jurisprudence'. Unknown painter from second half of the seventeenth century. Legal Department, Uppsala University 5 Flogging in the town square was a public event. Drawing by Göte Göransson (1921-2015), by permission of his family 6 The women wore 'whipping bodices' that left their backs bare when they were birched. Drawing by Göte Göransson (1921-2015), by permission of his family 7 The Göta Court of Appeal was established in 1634 in Jönköping. Its jurisdiction included the southern parts of the Swedish mainland (Götaland and Värmland and, after 1658, also Skåne, Blekinge, and Halland). Ny illustrerad tidning, 1866:27 8 A peasant couple from the eighteenth century. En karl med lja och en quinna med härf [A man with a scythe and a woman with a rake] by Pehr Hilleström (1732-1816). The Nordic Museum List of illustrations ix 9 The authorities were apprised of several crimes via gossip and curious neighbours, but people from the local community could also make an investigation more difficult by withholding information or providing refuge for a fugitive. The image shows Swedish folk costumes from different par...

The way that we have perceived, described, and understood sexual desire has changed dramatically over time and across cultures. This collection brings together a group of experts from a variety of disciplines to explore the history of sexual desires and the transformation of sexual ideas, attitudes, and practices in premodern Europe. Among the topics considered are the visibility of sexual offenses and the construction of passions; the geographical range extends to Great Britain, with extended attention also to France as well as Northern and Eastern Europe. The result is a groundbreaking volume that adds significantly to our understanding of premodern European history, history of sexualities, gender studies, religious history, and many other fields.

To Ask for the King’s Permission to Marriage: Applications for Marriage between Relatives in Eighteenth Century Sweden. In early modern Western society regulations against incestuous relationships were primarily justified by religion, and kinship by blood and kinship by marriage were treated equally. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Swedish law was among the strictest in these matters, and violations were often punished by execution. Simultaneously, it was possible to ask the king’s permission for a dispensation for marriage between more distant relatives. During the second half of the eighteenth century the number of dispensation applications rose significantly, implying a turning point in attitudes. This article investigates arguments in dispensation applications and subsequent responses from decision holders. The aim is to illustrate how parallel values in society, apart from those of religion, affected the way different relationships were perceived. The study shows that applicants used a range of arguments in persuading authorities that their relationships should be allowed. However, even though authorities took an interest in whether or not applicants were good Christians, and whether or not relationships were honourable (not carnal), there was one decisive factor for granting or denying the applications. If the applicants’ family positions crossed different generations (e.g. man/uncle’s widow) it was considered that the “natural parental respect” would be jeopardised and, irrespective of the applicants’ ages, the application was denied.

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