Looking back, there is a lot of information about suicide even before the Middle Ages. The most important of this is the reasons that lead to suicide and the attitude people take after the deceased!
Suicide is prohibited in most societies; The person who killed himself was not only killing himself, but also his honor and dignity. Okay but why? What harm could a person who commits suicide do to society other than himself?
Let’s take it from the very beginning. We have information about suicide in ancient Greece and Rome.
Throughout history, there are many examples of suicide, both collectively and individually. Researchers have found that suicide was very common, dating back to before the Middle Ages. It is thought that especially in Ancient Greece, communities attempted suicide very often, and the reason for this was due to old age and disease.
Noble people, in particular, could not bear to see their bodies sick and in pain, and would end their lives. It was dishonorable for them to live like this. Naturally, this was dishonorable, but was suicide an honorable act? Yes, that’s exactly what it was! It was considered a very noble act for them to end their own lives.
In Rome, the situation was not much different.
The existing class society structure also separated suicide between slaves and nobles. A person’s life was very important as there were conquests during the Kingdom period. The one who committed suicide would be severely punished for this reason. You heard right, the deceased was also punished. Either with a gallows or with animals!
In ancient Rome, suicide was welcome except for two classes: soldiers and slaves. This situation, which was applied due to patriotic and economic interests, was very common among slaves. The suicide of the soldiers was also considered as treason, and the person who killed himself was declared “dishonourable”. During these periods, important names such as Socrates and Nero, whom we all know closely, also committed suicide.
The more suicides there were in Antiquity, the less they were in the Middle Ages.
The most important reason for this was undoubtedly the acceptance of Christianity. According to the Christian belief, God could still take the soul given by God. Suicide was the most extreme act of disobedience. According to St. Augustine, even talking about suicide was wrong because the person who killed himself was considered the murderer.
In the 12th century canon law book, Decretum Gratiani, it was written that those who committed suicide would not be forgiven. Thomas of Aquino, who was a priest in the 13th century, also states in his “Summa Theologica” that Christianity cannot tolerate suicide. It was stated that people who killed themselves would not be buried with a religious ceremony.
In the 13th century, the body of a person who committed suicide of his own accord was tortured.
Before these periods, there are not many records of suicide, even if there was, the body was not intervened, they were buried like every human being. However, from this period onwards, the deceased was tortured by court order, the corpse was tied to a horse and dragged on the ground and hanged. It is said that especially the soldiers who participated in the Crusades committed suicide because they could not stand this situation psychologically.
It was observed that this situation gradually decreased. Was it reduced, or was it hidden because it was not considered religiously appropriate?
The inclusion of suicide in the texts is mostly seen in the late period.
Especially in the Middle Ages, the reasons that led to suicide are explained. The Franciscan priests touched upon this a little too much. Bonaventura, for example, mostly talks about this situation. The exact number of cases is unknown; because families were hiding it even if it was suicide.
Examples of this are in court records. In Northumberland, one record reported in 1256 that when a boy came home, he found his mother hanging herself with her headscarf, but instead of telling her, she took her to bed and put her to bed and buried her in the churchyard cemetery, telling her neighbors it was a natural death. As such, there were not many suicide cases, since they were also hidden in the records.
The word suicide was first used in Thomas Browne’s “Religio Medici” in 1637.
It was also in the Middle Ages that suicides were first recorded in judicial records. For this reason, among the documents belonging to the Middle Ages, the most common sources of recorded suicides are criminal records. These records usually included the name of the person, the method of suicide, the place where the suicide occurred, and sometimes the time. There was also information about the place where the body was found and how the body was found.
The search for this information was, of course, costly, and these costs were met by confiscating the deceased’s belongings if they were thought to have committed suicide. Therefore, it was a crime to commit suicide and the belongings of the person who committed suicide were listed and a value was assigned to each item. For example, the value of items such as a bucket or broom was usually recorded as a certain amount, such as half a penny.
Examining the forensic records provides a clue to understanding how suicide cases increased in which country and during which dynasty, and how this increase affected living conditions.
For example, in England before 1170 almost no cases of suicide were recorded, while there was an increase in cases between 1220 and 1290. After 1330, a decrease was observed in suicide cases again. In Germany, there were no suicide records in the Hohenstaufen period, but an increase was observed in the Habsburg period in 1390 and later. These data also show the factors that affect people’s psychology.
Men were 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide than women.
Alexander Murray, who made a detailed research on suicide, examined 546 suicide cases recorded between 1000 and 1500. According to Murray’s information, the number of recorded suicides during this period was much higher, but many were not recorded. According to his research, when the gender distribution of suicide cases was examined, the ratio of men to women was one-third higher; 74% male and 26% female suicide cases were recorded.
When we look at the suicide methods of women, we see that the most common choice is to jump from a high place or drown, although some have committed suicide with knives or sharp objects. Hanging oneself was rarely the preferred method.
The social status of the person who committed suicide was a highly decisive factor.
Nobles were generally not punished, while peasants were subject to harsh punishments when they committed suicide. It was acceptable for nobles to commit suicide in situations such as tournaments, hunts, battles, or campaigns. Oddly enough, dying in these events was a virtue for them. The suicide of the nobles was generally more sympathetic, while the suicides of the peasants were considered selfish and cowardly, committing suicide to escape their responsibilities.
For example, Henry of Le Daleli, who was abbot in Nottingham in 1160, cut his arm veins by taking a hot bath and committed suicide by immersing his arms in hot water. With the phrase “utroque brachio sanguinem minuens” in the Latin text, it is stated that he committed suicide due to the blood melting. The reason why Henry Le Daleli took this action was because he was forced to leave his convent and leave his lover, who started to stay with him. It is known both in his monastery and in his town that he was forcibly taken and brought back to the monastery, and the suicide caused great repercussions.
Even though the research on this subject in ancient times was limited, today it has many psychological explanations. The reason for this sociological situation experienced throughout history was not only clearly expressed, but instead of respect, the “dead” person was punished by assuming that it was a shame.
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