A Poisoned Past: The Life and Times of Margarida de Portu, a Fourteenth-Century Accused Poisoner (Thinking Historically)

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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 vital not such a lot for what it tells us about Margarida but for the way 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 eliminate the creator from the analysis. Relatively, it lays bare the working methods of the historian. Right through 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 at 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 circle of relatives trees provide useful information on key people in the story. A map of late medieval Manosque could also be provided.


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