Manon van der Heijden, Ph.D. (1998), Leiden University, is Professor of Comparative Urban History. She has published several monographs on early modern urban history and many articles on marriage law, public services, and crime and justice.

"Stilistisch angenehm schnörkellos geschrieben bzw. von David McKay in flüssiges und leicht lesbares Englisch übersetzt, bietet van der Heijden eine deskriptive Synthese des empirischen Forschungsstands. Jedes Kapitel schließt mit einer konzisen Zusammenfassung. Ein gut durchdachtes Sachregister erleichtert die schnelle Orientierung über die jeweiligen thematischen Aspekte."Francisca Loetz, Zürich, in: Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung 45 (2018) 1, pp. 167-169."This book is the product of Van der Heijden’s wide-ranging research interests and is a great contribution to several academic fields. I recommended it for anyone interested in crime, Dutch law, marriage, and women during the early modern period."Amanda Pipkin, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in: Renaissance Quarterly, Volume LXX, No. 4, pp. 1570-1571."In Women and Crime in Early Modern Holland, Manon Van der Heydenconvincingly tackles some persistent assumptions about the criminal behavior of early modern women. [...] Smoothly combining legal history, gender history and social and economic history, the authordiscusses the daily experiences, worries – such as poverty – and aspirations of early modern female criminals. [...] The wealth of informationcombined with constant comparing of early modern crimes with their current definitions ensures that this book is of value for both professionals and the broader public." Ans Vervaeke, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in: BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review, Volume 133 (2018), review 44."Anyone interested in crime, urbanization, or gender history can profit from reading this volume. Van der Heijden is a reliable guide to the situation in the cities of Holland, to the status of women, and to the complexities of the Dutch legal system.Mary Lindemann, University of Miami, in: EMWJ, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Fall 2018), pp. 233-236.

• Series Editors’ Preface ... viiPreface ... ixList of Graphs, Tables and Figures ... xi1 Research on Criminal Women in Holland from 1550 to 1800 ... 1Crime Figures in the Early Modern Period ... 2Explanations for Female Crime ... 9The Criminal Woman Vanishes ... 13The Special Position of Holland ... 172 Crime and Punishment ... 24Serious Crimes ... 25Administration of Justice ... 28Criminal Procedure ... 32Settlements with the Public Prosecutor ... 35Sentencing ... 38Reporting Crime and Chances of Arrest ... 44The Importance of Honor and Reputation ... 463 Infanticide ... 48Prosecution for Infanticide ... 51Unwed Motherhood ... 56Money and Honor ... 58Driven by Desperation ... 604 Women and Petty Theft ... 62Diffferences between Men and Women ... 63A Consumer Revolution in Theft ... 69Poverty as a Motive for Theft ... 725 Aggressive Women in the Neighborhood ... 77Violence: A Male Crime? ... 78Statistics on Women and Violence ... 82Patterns of Violence by Women ... 87A Public Life ... 916 Promiscuous Women ... 98What are Sexual Offfenses? ... 99Legislation ... 103Carnal Intercourse ... 106Cohabitation ... 110Compelled by Circumstances ... 111Adultery ... 113The Hard Lives of Sailors’ Wives ... 119Outside Assistance ... 1227 Against Authority ... 128Women’s Role in Unrest ... 129Begging ... 135Tax Evasion ... 1388 Victim or Perpetrator? ... 140Rape and Assault ... 141Incest ... 148Domestic Violence ... 152 Conclusions ... 160Bibliography ... 165Index ... 178