Punishment of women for various crimes in Russia and in the countries of Europe and Asia varied greatly. At the same time, the medieval laws of all countries fixed the loyal attitude of society to corporal punishment of the female population. Both in "enlightened" Europe and in "wild" Asia, wife beating was a matter of course. In Russia, this ancient tradition is reflected in the code of laws of family life, known as "Domostroy".
Punishment of wives in families
Domestic "teaching" of the wife with the help of corporal punishment is presented as obligatory. At the same time, a woman is practically equated with livestock. The latter is supposed to be hit hard, because neither the donkey nor the horse understands the meaning of human speech and is able to obey only physical force.
A woman, as a creature by nature inclined to sin, but at the same time endowed with the understanding of language, according to the author of Domostroy, for minor offenses can only be subjected to light blows. The wife could be beaten with a hand or a whip. During the punishment, it was forbidden to use traumatic metal objects and to inflict blows that could lead to disability (for example, hitting in the eyes).
Despite such a reservation, in Russian families, the most severe beatings of their wives often happened, which led to a lethal outcome. Moreover, if the woman herself raised her hand to her husband, then she had to pay a fine to the treasury in the amount of 3 hryvnia (Yaroslav's decree).
For a grave offense or simply "under the hot hand" a woman was supposed to be severely whipped with a whip. Similar laws existed (and still exist) in the countries of the East. First of all, this concerns the Muslim powers, where the husband also has the right, at his discretion, to punish his wife for a misdeed or just for edification.
In European countries, there were no specific laws on this score, but not a single husband was punished for beating a woman in a family in the Middle Ages. Corporal punishment of the wife in the family was something taken for granted, as if "in the order of things."
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Punishment for treason
Cheating on a wife was considered a serious crime in almost all cultures. At the same time, male infidelity in both Russia and Europe was turned a blind eye for a long time. In the case of proven treason, the wife, along with her lover, had to bear the punishment at the hands of the deceived husband. The latter could, at his discretion, whip or otherwise punish both criminals. The punishment was almost always bodily.
Quite often, society itself could come up with some sophisticated shameful punishment for both the dishonest wife and her cuckold husband. Sometimes whole shameful processions were arranged: a woman walked in front and led a donkey, on which her deceived husband sat. This procession was followed by a herald, at regular intervals announcing to everyone about the woman's crime and the shame of her husband.
Such public executions were very popular in Western Europe. In Russia, neither women nor men were subjected to public ridicule. Usually the offender was fined or sent to serve her sentence in a spinning house. In such cases, a man had the right to divorce an unfaithful woman and subsequently enter into another marriage. This road was ordered for the woman: she had no right to remarry.
But Russian laws regarding the punishment of traitors were constantly changing. In most cases, a fine was still imposed, and the husband could already do with his wife at his own discretion.
In Byzantium, a much more severe punishment was applied to the traitors - they cut off their noses so that the "stigma" of shame would remain for life. The punishment for a traitor in Muslim countries is stoning to death. The execution was carried out by a large number of people. All the relatives of the deceived husband, the elders of the village, and in general anyone who felt righteous anger in his chest for violating the laws of Allah acted as prosecutors and at the same time executioners.
Punishments for more serious crimes
For abortion and murder of newborn children in Russia, women were impaled. In Europe, for the "expulsion of the fetus" was called a witch with all the consequences that follow from this definition. Both the failed mother herself and the woman who had an abortion were punished. Usually the case ended with being burned alive at a huge bonfire.
The main crimes, for which the execution was supposed, were defined as early as in the "Russian Pravda" (about X-XI centuries). For especially grave crimes, women were punished in the same way as men. It was the same in Europe in this respect. A woman who killed a person of a higher social status or committed some act against the sovereign was executed. At best, they could be whipped and sent to some remote place.
In Russia, women were treated in a similar way. Only mothers of young children, pregnant women and daughters of noble parents could count on leniency and mitigation of the sentence. For the murder of an equal or a person lower in rank, only a fine was imposed.
