Justice for Jehanne

The Tale of a Medieval Survivor

A spellbinding narrative history that defies modern assumptions about womens lives in the Middle Ages and informs contemporary debates about sexual violence and the limits of justice

In the winter of 1472, the city of Dijon, France, became the stage for a remarkable legal drama. On the mayors orders, an investigator named Jaques Borestel went door-to-door questioning his neighbors about an alleged sexual assaultand about the victims history and place in the community. At the center of Jaquess inquiry was a woman named Jehanne, who took the unusual step of making a criminal complaint in an age when victims of sexual violence did so at their own peril. Justice for Jehanne follows Jaquess investigation as he uncovers one womans story of resilience and survival.

Applying forensic analysis to witness testimony and Jaquess case files, Sara McDougall finds in Jehanne a woman of many