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ChapterI
1.7Aggressionandviolenceinthemedieval
andmodernEurope
TherearemanyreasonstocorrectthegenerallyheldconvictionthattheMid-
dleAgeswereaparticularlyviolentera.Thisistheimagedescribedanddocu-
mentedbythecontemporaries,mostlymonks,chroniclersandscholars.Medie-
valmonksleftaccountsofterriblesins:variouscrimes,murders,rapes,burnings
andblasphemies.Courtliteratureoftenconveyedportraitsofnoblemenwho
werethoroughlyimmoralandimpervioustopangsofconscienceandthatin
theperiodwhennobilitywasthecoreofthesociety.Yetinreality,violencewas
prevalentratheramongthepeasantryandingroupsthatlivedonthemarginsof
thesociety(Elias1980).
1.7.1Unsanctionedandlegalaggressionandviolence
Today,intryingtodeterminewhetheragiveneventwasanactofviolence,
thequestionisraisedwhethertheuseofforce(physicalormental)wasdone
withlegalsanction,i.e.whetheritanswerstothecurrentlegalcodificationof
actionswhichareprohibited.Thecategoriesofaggressionandviolencearesim-
ilarlyunclearinthecasesofactionstakenindefenceofvaluesortraditionses-
teemedbythesociety,e.g.religion;themoresowhensuchblurredfactorsas
crowdbehaviourareapartofthepicture(Davis1985,s.34).
Intheconditionsofafaultyoperationoflegalsystem,leadersandmembers
ofgroupsthataimtochangethehithertosocialsystemareparticularlyproneto
givingtheiractionsanappearanceoflegality.Theyoftenpresentthemselvesas
defendersofsomelawthatistraditional,butregrettablynolongerenforced,and
asupholdersofcertainrules,bothinthefightfortheirprinciplesandinrepres-
sionsextendedtothedefeatedopponents.Whatthetruthreallyis,isbestsummed
upbythesayingabouttherevolutionsthat“eattheirownchildren”,notonly
theiropponents.
1.7.2Medievalregulationsofthepublicorder
TheempireofCharlestheGreatpartiallyensuredthesocialorder,expressed
throughtheprinciplesofthepacificebehaviourandthestrivingforthestateof
securityandpeace.Thefollowingcenturieswitnessedanincreaseinthefeudal
anarchyandthedisappearanceofinstitutionscapableofcurbingviolenceand
enforcingcontrol.Thepublicjudiciarysystemwasprivatisedandextendedto
includethenon-freepopulation,yetessentially,themiliteswerenotsubjectto