The Examination of Inconsistencies Among the Misconception, Ideology, and Reality of the Punishment of Male and Female Adulterers Through Letters and Court Records

Due to the misogynistic roots of history, many scholars believe that female adulterers were punished more harshly than male adulterers; however, the wholistic examination of religion, gender norms, and medieval law reveal that despite the church’s ideology of equal condemnation of male and female adulterers, in reality, male adulterers were punished more frequently than women. By addressing the misconceptions, ideologies, and realities relating to adultery, this enables us to comprehend how social norms, law, and religion mutually influence each other while also revealing inconsistencies between the different fields. This paper focuses on adultery cases in the medieval times and examines the misconception, ideology, and reality of the punishment of adulterers