Habitual Offenders: A True Tale of Nuns, Prostitutes, and Murderers in Seventeenth-Century Italy

About the Book

Habitual Offenders: A True Tale of Nuns, Prostitutes, and Murderers in Seventeenth-Century Italy by Craig A. Monson reconstructs a murder case from seventeenth-century Bologna, Italy.

In April 1644, two women who had entered a convent for reformed prostitutes fled the institution. A preliminary investigation failed to resolve their disappearance. Fifteen months later, their bodies were discovered in a cellar, leading to a much larger investigation involving members of Bologna's religious, military and social communities.

A Murder Case in Seventeenth-Century Italy

Monson reconstructs the case through more than four thousand pages of primary sources, including testimony and records connected with the investigation and subsequent proceedings.

The story follows the investigation through Bologna and Rome while examining the people connected to the case, including prostitutes, servants, soldiers, mercenaries and members of the Italian nobility. The evidence provides a view of social relationships and the workings of justice in seventeenth-century Italy.

History, Crime and Everyday Life

Beyond the murder investigation, the book explores crime and punishment, religious institutions, social hierarchy and everyday life in early modern Italy. It also brings attention to people whose experiences are often less visible in traditional historical accounts.

The result combines archival research with a narrative account of a historical crime, making the book relevant to readers of Italian history, early modern history, religious history and historical true crime.

Key Features

Author: Craig A. Monson; University of Chicago Press edition; First published in 2016; Historical account of a seventeenth-century murder case; Set primarily in Bologna and Rome; Based on extensive primary-source research; Covers crime, punishment, religion and social history; Hardcover edition.

Who Is It For?

This book is suitable for readers interested in early modern European history, Italian history, religious history and historical crime. It may also appeal to readers who enjoy scholarly works that reconstruct real historical events from archival evidence.

Product Details

Author: Craig A. Monson; Publisher: University of Chicago Press; Publication Date: 3 May 2016; Edition: First Edition; Format: Hardcover; ISBN: 9780226335339; Language: English.

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