Fall 2008 - The Johns Hopkins University Press

SaladinThe Sultan and His Times, 1138–1193Hannes Möhringtranslated by David S. Bachrachintroduction by Paul M. CobbNefarious Crimes,Contested JusticeIllicit Sex and Infanticide in the Republic of Venice,1557–1789Joanne M. FerraroKnown to the west as “thenoble heathen,” the greatMuslim emperor Saladin ledArab forces in the reconquestof the Crusader kingdomsand captured Jerusalemin 1187. This concise historytraces Saladin’s role inthe contest between Islamand Christianity during thetwelfth century.“Saladin rex Aegypti”from a 15th century manuscriptTracing the Sultan’s life fromthe rise of the CrusaderStates through his triumphover the Franks to the ThirdCrusade, Möhring elucidatesthe emperor’s accomplishmentsin uniting the Arab lands of the Middle East, his enlightenedrelationship with European opponents, and theunique legacy of his rule in the Middle East and beyond.This faithful English-language translation also includes anintroduction that places Saladin in his geographic, political,and cultural context.“This book provides a lively introduction to Saladin, a medieval sultanwhose deeds and legend still loom large today. Utilizing both Muslimand Christian sources, Möhring describes a Saladin who was both aman of his times and a leader of remarkable qualities. Students willfind both the man and the legend well worth studying.”—Thomas F. Madden, author of Enrico Dandoloand the Rise of VeniceHannes MöHRINg is a historian of the Middle Ages and Orientalistscholar at the University of Bayreuth.This captivating history exposes a clandestine world of familyand community secrets—incest, abortion, and infanticide—inthe early modern Venetian republic.With the keen eye of a detective, Joanne M. Ferraro followsthe clues in individual cases and reconstructs each one as thecourts would have done according to the legal theory of theday. Lawmakers relied heavily on the depositions of familymembers, neighbors, and others in the community to establishthe veracity of the victims’ claims. Ferraro recounts thisoften colorful testimony, giving voice to the field workers,spinners, grocers, servants, concubines, midwives, physicians,and apothecaries who gave their evidence to the courts.Nefarious Crimes, Contested Justice also traces shifting attitudestoward illegitimacy and paternity from the late sixteenththrough the eighteenth centuries. Unmarried pregnantwomen were increasingly stigmatized for engaging in sex.Their claims for damages because of seduction or rape werelargely unproven, and the priests and laymen they were involvedwith were often acquitted of any wrongdoing. Thelack of institutional support for single motherhood and theexculpation of fathers frequently led to abortion, infantabandonment, or infant death.In uncovering these hidden sex crimes, Ferraro exposes thefurther abuse of women by both the men who perpetratedthese illegal acts and the courts that prosecuted them.“Ferraro opens up what has really been a hidden world . . . She reconstructseach case with often fascinating and disturbing detail. This isdone so well that one frequently feels as if one is hearing the voicesof the testimony and following the case as it was laid out in court.”—Guido Ruggiero, author of Machiavelli in Love: Sex, Self,and Society in the Italian RenaissanceJoanne M. FERRARO is a professor of history at San Diego StateUniversity and author of Marriage Wars in Late RenaissanceVenice and Family and Public Life in Brescia, 1580–1650: TheFoundations of Power in the Venetian State.October 160 pages 5½ x 8½ 2 maps978-0-8018-8991-2 0-8018-8991-X $45.00(s) / £24.00 hc978-0-8018-8992-9 0-8018-8992-8 $20.00(s) / £11.00 pbHistoryNovember 240 pages 6 x 9 11 halftones, 1 map978-0-8018-8987-5 0-8018-8987-1 $45.00(s) / £24.00 hcEuropean HistoryTHE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS 1-800-537-5487 41