Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Rape
(2,835 words)

1. Concept

The word “rape” is derived from the Latin rapere, meaning “to seize by force,” and until well into the early modern period, it referred to the kidnapping of a woman with or without a sexual element, but with violence. Physical violence was also the connotation of equivalent terms in other European languages until the 20th century (e.g. French rapt, after 1791 viol; Spanish violación, from Latin violentia, “violence”; German Vergewaltigung, from Gewalt, “violence”) [12]. …

Cite this page
Griesebner, Andrea and Lorenz, Maren, “Rape”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 05 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_029569>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



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