Profs and Pints Northern Virginia presents: “A Short History of Revenge,” on the evolution of thinking about payback, with Amanda Madden, who researches and teaches about past crime and violence as an assistant professor of history at George Mason University. 

Christ’s call for his followers to “turn the other cheek” did not deter a Renaissance-era Italian nun from writing in her diary: “We will make our revenge so fatal that hell will be amazed.” 

Europeans of all ages, classes, and occupations often expressed similar sentiments regarding their hostilities toward others and their desire for revenge for perceived wrongs. Revenge meant something very different to Renaissance Europeans than it does to people today. It was an institution, a social relationship, and, for many, an obligation—so much so that it was quasi-legal, or at least tolerated in some cases and contexts.

Learn about the legal, institutional, social and cultural history of revenge from the Renaissance to the present with Dr. Amanda Madden, a scholar of the history of crime and violence and the author of a forthcoming book Civil Blood: Vendetta Violence and the Civic Elites in Early Modern Italy.

She’ll discuss the history of the important concept of revenge as revealed through laws, court cases, philosophy, and literature, and she'll describe how governments and culture collaborated to make revenge uncivilized up to the present day.

You’ll learn about the development of the court system to manage interpersonal conflicts, the increasing government monopolization of justice, and the gradual criminalization of premeditated acts of revenge. Dr. Madden will discuss how, when it came to insults to honor, men and women increasingly found other ways—including duels and public insults—to avenge damage done to their reputation. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk begins 30 minutes later.)

Image: “The Revenge of Tomyris,” a 1620 painting by Michiel Coxie (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna / Wikipedia).