Gendered Punishments in Medieval Nordic Law, ca. 1100–1300

This book examines gendered punishments in medieval Nordic laws, ca. 1100–1300. By exploring legislation on violence, sorcery, sexual morality, and theft, it considers whether women were seen as independent legal subjects or as extensions of their families. It identifies various gendered punishments and discriminatory treatments, revealing regional differences and the influence of European legal ideologies. It also uncovers an emphasis on individual culpability for crimes, reflecting a shift from collective to individual responsibility and women’s increasing property rights. This comparative analysis offers a nuanced view of medieval Nordic law, highlighting the complex relationship between gender, law, and society during this transformative period. It explains how criminal law was influenced by canon law and German town law and offers new insights into the legal history of the Nordic region.

Helle Vogt is Professor in Legal History at University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mia Korpiola (PhD 2004) is professor of legal history of the University of Turku. She has published extensively on Swedish and Finnish legal history.

Else Mundal is professor emerita in Old Norse philology at the University of Bergen. She has published extensively on gender in medieval Norway and Iceland. In 2017, she was appointed a knight of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon.

Miriam Jensen Tveit (PhD 2017) is assistant professor of medieval history at Nord University, and has published extensively on Norwegian medieval legal history.