Johana’s Flight: Domestic Violence, Madness and Family Conflict in Medieval Perpignan

Article excerpt

In 1450, a woman named Johana Descamps fled her abusive marriage in the Mediterranean port city of Perpignan, triggering a legal battle that offers a rare window into medieval attitudes toward domestic violence, mental illness, and family rupture. Court records from her case reveal how authorities grappled with questions that feel startlingly modern: what constitutes abuse? When is madness real? Where do family loyalties end and personal safety begin? Johana's ordeal, and the legal machinery it set in motion, exposes the precarious position of medieval women caught between marital obligation and physical danger.