Csecsemőgyilkosságok a 17. századi Marosvásárhelyen
Infanticide in 17th Century Târgu-Mureș

Summary/Abstract: In the eye of the society, infanticide was a grave crime, and people expected severe sanctions from the courts. The study presents infanticide cases from Târgu Mureş from the seventeenth century, and – based on historical sources – it describes defence strategies used in court. Moreover, considering the economic and social situation of the families involved, the study outlines the profiles of the perpetrators in order to better understand them. It also seeks to understand not only, or not necessarily the motives behind the crimes, but also the attitudes of the witnesses and of the authorities, too. Therefore, it follows what the judges wanted to know, how the witnesses related to the perpetrators, or to what extent they tried to acquit or put them in an unfavourable light.

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