"Fort males paraules, desonestes e injurioses". L’insult en la vida política d’una ciutat medieval

Abstract

Apart from the considerations set out by jurists, moralists or sarcastic poets about cursing in the late Middle Ages, the main purpose of this article is to analyse the use of the insults («bad words, dishonest and offensive»), through the direct study of municipal sources and court proceedings, in the social and political life of a Catalan city within this period, focusing on the analysis of the insult’s variants, the situations where it was used, those targeted by it and some of its resulting consequences at every turn. Despite the frequent attempts to restrict or forbid its usage so as not to «stray away from good morals», blasphemy and derision became a rather common means of attack, predominantly in lawsuits and in convulsive contexts. Nevertheless, the sanctions imposed on offenders varied extensively, ranging from a simple request for pardon to fines, loss of rights, and even punishment by death