On corporal punishment during the Ancien Régime in France

The purpose of this thesis is to consider corporal punishment during the Ancien Régime in France.  First, we will start by examining how the word “Taibatsu ” is expressed in French.  Referring to the French etymology, we will try to analyze the original intrinsic significance and history of the term as it corresponds to corporal punishment in France.  Based on these considerations, we explain that the words corresponding to corporal punishment in French include the punishment of evil, sin, and mistakes committed by a person, as well as the concept of resolving evil and transforming it into something holy ― in other words, the transformation of subject.  Second, we analyze how corporal punishment was practiced and what methods were used in the educational system during the Ancien Régime period.  We also reveal that the justification of corporal punishment was due to the influence of Christianity, especially the Old Testament.  Finally, we explain the school of thought that denied corporal punishment in the 16th century while analyzing the Essays of Montaigne, a French philosopher and writer.  In conclusion, corporal punishment was deemed essential for the education of children during the French Ancien Régime.  This was due to the idea that children needed to be disciplined like animals; in Christianity, children were thought to be perverse by their original sin, necessitating infuence on part of good humans through corporal punishment.  In contrast, views against corporal punishment, which originated in Montaigne’s writings, were not immediately incorporated into pedagogical thoughts; they were only to be realized with the birth of modern pedagogy in the 18th century.

Keyword: Ancien Régime, Corporal punishment, Christianity, Montaigne

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