Adultery Archives - Anna Belfrage

I want out! – or how the history of divorce can inspire a book

By Anna Belfrage / March 26, 2020 / 2 Comments / Relationships, Writing / 17th century, Adultery, Author inspiration, history of divorce, unhappy marriages

It is estimated that approximately 40-50% of all present-day marriages in the Western Hemisphere end in divorce. A rather depressing statistic, some say. A consequence of longer lifespans, the anthropologist will counter, adding that few marriages in the past spanned several decades—usually they ended due to the untimely death of one of the parties. According …

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The suffering of a loyal wife

By Anna Belfrage / July 26, 2017 / 6 Comments / Historical People, Human life, Medieval times, Women in history, Writing / 14th century, A rich heiress an abandoned wife, Adultery, Edward II, Edward III, England, Incarceration, Isabella of France, Joan de Geneville, rebellion, Roger Mortimer

On a September day in 1301, the fifteen-year-old Joan de Geneville wed Roger Mortimer, the future Baron Mortimer. He was one year younger, but this was apparently no hindrance as already one year later Joan was delivered of a child. Joan brought a lot to her husband. The eldest of three daughters born to Piers …

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The unfortunate Stephanie

By Anna Belfrage / May 24, 2016 / 12 Comments / Historical People, History, Life and death, Medieval times, Writing / 12th century, Adultery, Estefanía la Desdichada, murder, Spain

In Spanish, today’s protagonist is Estefanía la Desdichada, Stephanie the Unfortunate. If we’re going to be quite correct her name is Estefanía Alfonso and she was the illegitimate daughter of Alfonso VII of Castilla and León and his paramour, Urraca. (And no, this Urraca was not his mother, whom I wrote about here, she was …

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