Representaciones de la locura femenina en la Españade los siglos XVI y XVII

Abstract

This article addresses representations of madness and possession in 16th- and 17th-century Spain, with the Inquisition constantly grappling with the dilemma of distinguishing between real madness, legitimate possession, and feigning to avoid punishment. Based on two inquisitorial trials—the cases against Isabel de los Olivos (1513) and María Ruiz (1678)—the text reflects on how lay witnesses used these notions to explain different degrees of unreasonableness. The testimonies, representative of early modern Spanish society, show that these subjects were thoughtful: they appropriated expert discourses, turning them into common sense knowledge, to classify the accused and act upon them. While madness could explain a lack of judgment, possession was invoked when behaviors were particularly exacerbated, immoral, and violent, endowing women with monstrous traits. Although inquisitors often leaned toward the naturalistic explanation of madness, lay testimonies show that at that time, natural (madness) and supernatural (possession) explanations coexisted as nonantagonistic possibilities.