A pregnant woman, attacked in Dyon in 1472, is at the center of the book by historian Sarah McDougall, the Directory for Yehanne.
Based on judicial documents, the book brings the story of its struggle for justice and disputes the perception that women who experienced sex violence in the Middle Ages were necessarily excluded from society.
Yehanne, who descended from Lauren, was about 32 years old and in her final months of pregnancy when she was attacked on the night of January 3, 1472. According to her testimony, a group of men, among them mercenaries of the Duke of Burgundy, forced her out of her accommodations and sent her to a nearby field.
She confessed that men tried to rape her sexually and beat her, leaving her afraid of the unborn child’s life. Two days after the attack, Yehanne gave birth to a daughter.
The event occurred during a period of tension between the duke of Burgundy, the Dauntless Charles, and French King Louis XI. Resolute mercenaries for Dijon’s defense were also accused of mistreatment, kidnapping, and extortion against residents.
Municipal authorities responded quickly to the attack. Investigator Jacques Borestel interviewed Yehanne the day after the incident and, based on her testimony, identified and arrested most of the suspects.
The men initially denied the charges. Jehanne faced them and repeated her testimony. Later, authorities used torture against one of the detainees, and the suspects eventually pleaded guilty. City officials demanded their death sentence, but the issue was hampered by the intervention of the visible authorities.
Yehanne’s personal life was also recorded during the process. She had claimed to be married, but later she admitted that her husband had left for years and had given birth to two children from a relationship with a priest.
However, these findings did not move municipal authorities to abandon the issue. According to McDougall, this is one of the most significant elements of the documents: Yehanne’s intimate life was not considered sufficient reason to deny the request for justice. Neighbors and acquaintances also helped him find refuge after he was threatened by mercenaries.
Despite municipal efforts, those arrested were released after about two months. The dukeal authorities claimed that they were members of the clergy and, as a result, were subject to church jurisdiction.
For the reconstruction of history, McDougall examined about 70 pages of documents preserved in the Dylon municipal archive. Her findings contradict the earlier interpretation that the woman was reluctant to speak out of shame and that the outcome in prostitution was the predictable consequence of the attack.
Yehanne’s subsequent fate remains unknown. The historian points out that documents do not allow for certainty what happened to him after the process.
The case, according to McDougall, shows that women’s experience in the Middle Ages was more complicated than generalisations suggest. Yehanne failed to see the attackers punished, but her testimony was taken seriously and she found support in the community during her struggle for justice.
Source Layer: Dukeagini
