A Study On The Disputes Over The Remarry Of Widows In Henan Region In The Late Qing Dynasty ——Mainly Based On “Criminal Archives”

In the Qing Dynasty,women were encouraged to observe chastity,but the phenomenon of widows remarrying has always existed.Through the collection and analysis of the cases in Henan in the late Qing Dynasty in the archives of “Criminal Archives”,it is found that there were a large number of unmarried male groups in the society at that time.Men expand the scope of marriage,seeking to marry widows of appropriate age.The remarriage of widows involves a wide range of social relations,and the situation of disputes is more complicated.This article takes the remarriage disputes of widows in Henan in the late Qing Dynasty recorded in the “Criminal Archives” as the research object.The full text consists of three parts: the introduction,the main body and the conclusion.The text is divided into four chapters.The first part is the introduction.According to the materials collected by the author,it sorts out the current research situation at home and abroad,points out its shortcomings and problems,and on this basis clarifies the purpose and significance of the topic of this paper.The concept definition of “Criminal Archives” and widows are made.The second part of the text consists of chapters 1 to 4.The first chapter mainly analyzes the marital status and occupational status of the people involved in the widow’s remarriage disputes by combing through the archives.At the same time,widow remarriage disputes are divided into four categories: marriage disputes,financial and ritual disputes,matchmaking disputes and widow robbing disputes.The second chapter,based on whether the widow agrees to remarry,divides the widow’s remarriage disputes into two categories: voluntary remarriage and forced remarriage,and analyzes the causes of the disputes respectively.The third chapter analyzes the response and handling of the disputes between widows and widows by the public and the government based on the disputes recorded in the files.The fourth chapter analyzes the legal and social status of remarried widows in the Qing Dynasty from the regulations of the Qing Dynasty and the attitudes of the people towards remarried widows.The third part is the epilogue.Widows,a vulnerable group,will be oppressed by relatives,society,and officials when they choose chastity or remarry,and widows have no right to choose freely.In the disputes arising from remarriage,the main ones are money disputes,and the phenomenon of discussing money in marriage becomes more and more obvious,and widows become “commodities” for others to gain benefits.The society generally supports women to maintain chastity and opposes widows remarrying.The government upheld the benefits of widows to maintain chastity,and discriminated against widows who remarried in judicial practice.Although oppressed by the feudal society,not remarrying has not become the value orientation of some middle-and lower-class women.The widows’ struggle against their unequal status gave birth to the modern women’s will to pursue freedom and equality.