The Interpretation of Childbirth in Early Modern Spain II

No one would think that death is merely the cessation of the heart, the suspension of bodily functions; as cultural beings, we instinctively think of shrouds, coffins, epitaphs and mourning. Why is the other end of life birth so often discussed today as if it were just a physical matter? Just a process for which woman and baby need doctors and midwives, but not religion, culture and community? In the early modern period, things were very different: a pregnant noblewoman, say in Madrid, visited all the altars of the Virgin Mary in the city, consulted her midwife from the first weeks of her pregnancy, she gave birth while blessed candles were burning down or a rose of Jericho opened its petals. She invited her closest relatives and friends to her confinement and received gifts and congratulations. If a close relative had died shortly before the birth, the child was often christened after them. This name could even be a recently deceased sibling`s, a way of dealing with the deaths of premature babies and babies who died young, which was part of life at the time. The far-reaching insight would be: birth was not an isolated event but determined the whole course of life, even the relationship with the dead. Here is where the second part of our research begins, covering three main areas: Letters from the nobility very often deal with birth. When pregnant women corresponded with their mothers or grandmothers, they discussed all aspects of childbirth, from effective conjugal intercourse to cures for childhood diseases. We will examine the variety of voices that give testimony of birth. Saints are responsible for births. A nun regarded as a saint was always welcome at the scene of a difficult birth. More than 1000 reports of miraculous interventions by saints, living or dead, are collected in the 175 or so lives that we will now read carefully, looking for insights into the everyday life of the time and the forms of piety that shaped the birth experience. Slaves and foundlings. How could an enslaved woman experience motherhood in southern Spain (where about 10% of the population shared her fate of slavery)? What do court records, letters of freedom and other sources tell us? What do the records of foundling hospitals tell us about mothers who were unable or unwilling to keep their newborn babies? These testimonies from society`s margins will help to balance out an image dominated by palaces, duchesses and royal children. Childbirth often presents people with dilemmas and great difficulties. This is why it can provide such precise information about society`s secret mechanisms and the variable validity of shared values. Homepage: childbirth.univie.ac.at; E-Journal: Avisos de Viena. Viennese Cultural Studies Digital Exhibition Cultures of Birth in Early Modern Spain and Europe (Museo de Ecologa Humana)