Regulations on Fertility and Marriages
Regulations
and rules were put on marriages and fertility because of the wide fear of
witches and this way they can have some control over society. Limiting population was a concern for the
early modern government because of the lack of resources and the down fall of
the economy. Keeping population down was important because the resources, like
food, were limited. To be able to get married a couple must be financially
stable and able to provide from themselves. This helped to decrease fertility
by making couples wait to marry and to have children sooner. As woman age it is
harder for them to conceive and by making them wait there is a less chance they
will have multiple children. Parental permission was another regulation on
marriages, if two people decided to get married without permission it was considered
‘irresponsible marriage’ (Roper 129). There are multiple rules that stop
fertility and marriages throughout Germany.
In
this chapter Roper used many images that displayed fertility, which was a
common theme in many witch trials. The painting Allegory of Nature displays the connection between human fertility
and the earths fertility. Like woman providing for her children the earth
provides nourishment when the time comes. During this time the earth was not as
fruitful and there for woman could not bear as many children.
What
did you think about the images that Roper displayed in chapter six?
What
did you think about the regulations and restrictions on marriages and
fertility?
Thanks for the post Shelby. As I read over your discussion and think about the issues that faced women during the early modern period, focusing on fertility and marriage, I think about the regulations and rules that society places on people in today's world. Some issues are not legislative but more social, such as people's opinions of people waiting longer to have children or abstaining from procreating entirely. I also consider the legality of this issue when I look at the regulations that the Chinese government put into effect within the last few decades due to their growing population. The issues that the Chinese people have faced due to this one-child policy have been greatly seen lately due to disproportionate gender populations. However I regress... it truly is interesting to see the impact that the issues of fertility and marriage had on the overall factors that contributed to the witch-hunts. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteVery good post! I think of all the images, the one on page 153 in Roper (or at least I think that is the page number, I don't have my book with me right now) that solely depicts the three naked women in very provocative manners was very interesting. This image to me showed a stereotypical older witch almost controlling or directing a sexual act between the two younger women. To me this was a direct link to fertility because it showed a sexual act with women without a man which is a sexual act unable to facilitate fertility. I don't know if that was the intent of the author however, I can see how Roper was trying to tie it into fertility.
ReplyDeleteI think the regulations make sense to an extent but perhaps overreach how the government should be regulating. If we subscribe to their way of thinking for a moment, we can almost blame many pacts with devil on policies like this. Were it not for the need for financial security before marriages could be deemed fit, perhaps less women would have fallen prey to false coins. The points you made about population regulation also got me thinking that while there's no doubt that witches' deeds were heinous, if they were sacrificing children, wouldn't that be helping the issue?
ReplyDeleteThe images used to depict witches were, in many ways, an embodiment of the destructive nature of the weather and society of the time. I can't help but think that the German government's actions only helped to further push many of those darks things into motion instead of stopping them. Perhaps witches were not the primary issue for the government, but became a distraction from more tangible and pressing matters. Especially when one considers the highly circumstantial nature of what it mean to be a witch.
I think the regulations make sense to an extent but perhaps overreach how the government should be regulating. If we subscribe to their way of thinking for a moment, we can almost blame many pacts with devil on policies like this. Were it not for the need for financial security before marriages could be deemed fit, perhaps less women would have fallen prey to false coins. The points you made about population regulation also got me thinking that while there's no doubt that witches' deeds were heinous, if they were sacrificing children, wouldn't that be helping the issue?
ReplyDeleteThe images used to depict witches were, in many ways, an embodiment of the destructive nature of the weather and society of the time. I can't help but think that the German government's actions only helped to further push many of those darks things into motion instead of stopping them. Perhaps witches were not the primary issue for the government, but became a distraction from more tangible and pressing matters. Especially when one considers the highly circumstantial nature of what it mean to be a witch.