... since early modern medical discourses constructed the body in terms of a single-sex model ...... more ... since early modern medical discourses constructed the body in terms of a single-sex model ... midwives, they were called upon to examine the bodies of unmarried mothers, especially those ... While Gowing's paper highlighted a number of ways in which the body, experience and ...
This article considers the apparent disappearance of debt slavery in western Europe by the early ... more This article considers the apparent disappearance of debt slavery in western Europe by the early modern period, in contrast to the survival of other forms of enslavement, most notably war and birth. The desire of states in late antique and early medieval western Europe to protect the liberty of their freeborn citizens led them to rework rules on debt and distraint so that neither poverty nor civil debt should result in enslavement. They were aided in this by a religious theology that not only sought to provide mercy and forgiveness but adapted the policies of an ancient Hebrew sect to the problems of early medieval society. The result was a large and expanding ‘Christendom’ that continued to redefine the relationship between slavery, debt and poverty, at least as far as fellow believers were concerned.
The Portuguese were keen slave traders on the west central coast of Africa in the early modern pe... more The Portuguese were keen slave traders on the west central coast of Africa in the early modern period, but governors in Angola appear to have been increasingly unhappy about certain aspects of enslavement in relation to debt, and in particular that of children. Slavery for debt was uncommon in early modern Europe, where three arguments, drawn from Roman law, were usually cited by way of justification: birth; war; and self-sale. Cavazzi, an Italian Capuchin missionary travelling around Angola between 1654 and 1665, suggested several similarities between the legal justifications for slavery in Africa and Europe, but also pointed up a major difference: while in Angola in the early modern period enslavement could result from a number of instances of default, in Portugal at the same time - and in Europe more widely – debtors tended to find themselves imprisoned if they defaulted on a payment, rather than enslaved. This paper will consider the nature of debt enslavement in Angola in the early modern period, and how it impacted on the transatlantic slave trade.
... since early modern medical discourses constructed the body in terms of a single-sex model ...... more ... since early modern medical discourses constructed the body in terms of a single-sex model ... midwives, they were called upon to examine the bodies of unmarried mothers, especially those ... While Gowing's paper highlighted a number of ways in which the body, experience and ...
This article considers the apparent disappearance of debt slavery in western Europe by the early ... more This article considers the apparent disappearance of debt slavery in western Europe by the early modern period, in contrast to the survival of other forms of enslavement, most notably war and birth. The desire of states in late antique and early medieval western Europe to protect the liberty of their freeborn citizens led them to rework rules on debt and distraint so that neither poverty nor civil debt should result in enslavement. They were aided in this by a religious theology that not only sought to provide mercy and forgiveness but adapted the policies of an ancient Hebrew sect to the problems of early medieval society. The result was a large and expanding ‘Christendom’ that continued to redefine the relationship between slavery, debt and poverty, at least as far as fellow believers were concerned.
The Portuguese were keen slave traders on the west central coast of Africa in the early modern pe... more The Portuguese were keen slave traders on the west central coast of Africa in the early modern period, but governors in Angola appear to have been increasingly unhappy about certain aspects of enslavement in relation to debt, and in particular that of children. Slavery for debt was uncommon in early modern Europe, where three arguments, drawn from Roman law, were usually cited by way of justification: birth; war; and self-sale. Cavazzi, an Italian Capuchin missionary travelling around Angola between 1654 and 1665, suggested several similarities between the legal justifications for slavery in Africa and Europe, but also pointed up a major difference: while in Angola in the early modern period enslavement could result from a number of instances of default, in Portugal at the same time - and in Europe more widely – debtors tended to find themselves imprisoned if they defaulted on a payment, rather than enslaved. This paper will consider the nature of debt enslavement in Angola in the early modern period, and how it impacted on the transatlantic slave trade.
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