Arrest Memorable du Parlement de Tolose

Arrest Memorable du Parlement de Tolose

The tale that Jean de Coras recounts in his Arrest Memorable is the story of perhaps one of the most famous 16th century French peasants, a man named Martin Guerre. The story itself is remarkable. A man named Martin Guerre disappears for many years, leaving his young wife behind. Years later, a man claiming to be him appears, but is slowly discovered to be an imposter. During the trial of the fals Martin, the real Martin reappears, casting away any doubts that were still had over the identity of the other man. Not only does the story, recounted by Natalie Zemon Davis in her microhistory The Return of Martin Guerre give insight into what life as a peasant would have been like, but also provides us with an insight into the ways in which peasants thought about the self in early modern France. There were very few ways of making certain that a person was who they said they were, and so as long as the man claiming to be Martin resembled him, especially because he had been away for so long, it was easiest to just believe him. It was also easy for his wife when he reappeared, because she had never remarried, choosing instead to maintain the autonomy that widowhood provided. Jean de Coras was one of the men involved in the trial, and throughout his account of the events, he makes certain that his involvement is cast in a very good light.

Jean de Coras

Coras, Jean de. Arrest memorable du parlement de Tolose
http://tolosana.univ-toulouse.fr/fr/notice/075569353

1508

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