Domestic violence, alcohol abuse and the uses of justice in Early Modern Holland

Abstract

This article looked at the various options available to the urban population in early modern Holland to tackle problems regarding abusive and drunken family members. In the course of the early modern period the options available to victims of domestic violence and alcohol abuse expand. In addition to support from Protestant consistories and neighbors, in most cities people could submit a request to confine a family member. In addition, the grounds for divorce became broader, giving people the opportunity to file for a divorce in case of domestic violence. In the course of the eighteenth century both procedures increased dramatically as alcohol was increasingly perceived as a serious problem that would harm the family in various ways. This rise was related to a process of civilization, but the deeper cause lay in emerging social and economic problems due economic decline, unemployment and impoverishment after ca. 1750.