Shadows of Power: Family Violence in 19th to Early 20th Century Lithuania under the Russian Empire

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Abstract

The Russian Empire was characterized by a deeply entrenched patriarchal society where men held authority in both public and private spheres. Traditional family structures reinforced male dominance and female subservience, with the Orthodox Church shaping societal norms similarly to the Catholic Church in Lithuania.
In 19th-century Lithuania, family violence was prevalent but largely unacknowledged in both public and legal spheres. Roman canon law provided limited recourse for women in abusive marriages, where divorce was prohibited, and dissolution of marriage could only occur through death. Church law allowed for separation mensa et thoro (from bed and board) in cases of adultery, criminal conviction, coercion, or severe violence, but required stringent proof, thus reinforcing patriarchal authority and framing female obedience as a societal duty. The pervasive issue of alcohol misuse further exacerbated familial violence, contributing to erratic and violent behavior.
Corporal punishment was widely accepted in society, deeply embedded in customs and traditions, which led many to view domestic abuse as a cultural norm. This normalization of violence extended across both rural communities and the nobility, where it was common to discipline women or beat children at school and at home. Family dynamics also played a crucial role in the occurrence of infanticide, as many women accused of the crime came from unstable family environments, facing social stigma and economic hardship. Infanticide was not merely an isolated act, but rather a consequence of the pressures of single motherhood, societal marginalization, and the legacy of illegitimacy in 19th-century Lithuanian society.
The aim of this paper is to examine the intersections of patriarchal authority, legal structures, and cultural norms that allowed family violence to persist and remain unacknowledged in 19th to early 20th-century Lithuania under the Russian Empire.

Author

• Sigita Černevičiūtė, Aleksanteri institute, University of Helsinki