EL ESCÁNDALO COMO «SALVAGUARDA» DE LAS MUJERES EN LOS PLEITOS POR MALOS TRATOS DE FINALES DEL ANTIGUO RÉGIMEN.

Traditionally, scandal has been associated with a negative situation for women in the Ancien Régime. They were considered scandalous if they did not conform perfectly to the limits and models established for them. Even worse, they lost their honour -- both their own and their families'. However, there were exceptional situations, such as in cases of marital violence, in which scandal worked for the benefit of women. Mistreatment was accepted and even consented to by ecclesiastical and civil authorities, but always within certain limits. The main one was disproportion in what were understood as corrective actions by husbands towards their wives, especially when they involved publicity or resulted in a scandal that disrupted the coexistence and tranquillity of the neighbourhood. To analyse this, we have consulted documentation from the Real Chancillería of Valladolid, which has granted us with further insights into the ex officio intervention of justice officials, both in the first instance and on appeal. Thanks to this, we have been able to reconstruct how the justice system worked, how the women's honour was affected in eyes of their neighbours, and if the latter provided any support. More specifically, we have paid particular attention to whether the scandal led the husband to leave the house, thus bringing back pace to the house. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]