Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2024

« De nocte et hora suspecta… officials prowling in the dark »

Résumé

Historians have long since pointed out that people particularly feared the night during the Middle Ages. Not only because of the lack of light, but also because it was, compared to daytime, a more dangerous time, where crises could easily arise. A number of crimes would lead to a doubled fine if committed by night, and the mention « during the night », coupled with the precision « de hora suspecta » showed that nighttime offenses were severely looked upon and punished. Nightime was particularly regulated in Late Medieval Provence. A certain number of rules and laws applied to nighttime: bells indicated its beginning, one could not wander without a light during the night, and sergeants patrolled the streets. Therefore, such sergeants were mandated by the authorities to be night guards and oversee and stop eventual crises and crimes. However, the extant documentation suggests that those same sergeants and officials, supposed to prevent crises, were often troublemakers themselves, and can be perceived as factors of crisis and chaos. A case of rape committed by the subvicar of Manosque in 1333 is in this light exemplary and will constitute the heart of my reflection on the ambivalent role played by officials. This case study can be compared to other similar cases where officials - and especially subvicars - use their status precisely for the opposite of what it was intended for, that is to protect the population. These officials use their status to commit mischief, and the manipulation at work in those crimes needs to be studied. Nighttime is also a time where justice is momentarily left hanging: people needed to wait until morning to react and make a complaint. This paper seeks to examine the power abuse demonstrated by certain officials during the night as well as the people’s reactions to such mischief.

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Dates et versions

hal-05032176 , version 1 (13-04-2025)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-05032176 , version 1

Citer

Claire Allen. « De nocte et hora suspecta… officials prowling in the dark ». International Medieval Congress - University of Leeds, Jul 2024, Leeds (Angleterre), United Kingdom. ⟨hal-05032176⟩
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