Excommunicated Princes in Medieval Wales

Excommunication as a punishment for violating church rules on marriage and family relations was repeatedly imposed on members of Welsh dynasties during the 12th century. The aim of the research is to define the true reasons of such strict measures by means of analyzing historical sources: Welsh and English chronicles, including the Chronicle of the Princes, Annales Monastici, the corpus of Welsh native law texts known as the Law of Hywel Dda, the Historical Works of Gerald of Wales, some legal acts and official correspondence concerning Wales, including Thomas Becket’s letters. The Welsh native law was considered as a “barbarian” one by the Church. Undoubtedly, Welsh native customs contradicted canon law to some extent, allowing marriages between relatives, permitting divorces without reference to ecclesiastical procedures, and tolerating extramarital relationship. Incest marriages between members of major Welsh dynasties were a widespread phenomenon in Wales till the 13th century. Such marriages seemed to be an inevitable part of creating native political alliances in the face of danger from the Norman invaders. Welsh dynasties were often closely interrelated through marriages, but far not always this fact drew attention of the church. Owain Gwynedd and the Lord Rhys, who are believed to be the most powerful Welsh leaders of the 12th century, were both married to their first cousins. Owain Gwynedd was excommunicated for refusal to have his marriage annulled on the grounds of consanguinity. Meanwhile, the same circumstances of the Lord Rhys’ marriage went unnoticed. It must be taken into account that Owain Gwynedd’s canonically unacceptable marriage became a subject of the Pope’s attention only when the question of the Bishop of Bangor’s election and subsequent conflict with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, erupted. The Lord Rhys suffered the penalty of anathema just before his death not because of his scandalous marriage or immoral relationship but on account of disrespectful treatment of the Bishop of St. David’s, Peter de Leia. Obviously, conflicts between the Welsh rulers and the Anglo-Norman senior clergy as an essential part of Anglo-Welsh confrontation were the underlying reasons for such measures as excommunication. It is noteworthy that both of the aforementioned great Welsh princes were buried with due honor in the consecrated land despite the fact of excommunication, which demonstrated that the Welsh native clergy were loyal to their Welsh patrons rather than to the supreme ecclesiastical authorities.

Świat duchowy Josefa Váchala w pryzmacie roku 1920

Josef Váchal’s Spiritual World Through the Prism of the Year 1920The article presents the spiritual search of one of the most original Czech artists of the 20th century. The first part of the text presents a general outline of the author’s views on the matters of God, Satan, Catholicism, the Church, Nature, Occultism, and Mysticism. The radical changes in Váchal’s worldview and the aporias of his concepts are emphasized. An important thread in this part of the text is to show the spiritual connections between Váchal’s beliefs and fears on the one hand and criticism of contemporary civilization on the other. In the second part of the article, the author’s attention was focused on one year of the artist’s life. The art and literary works produced in 1920 were created with unusual intensity and in great moral tension resulting from the fact that he had started an extramarital relationship, but this did not diminish their quality. Apart from introducing the reader to these extraordinary works, the second part of the article examines in detail Váchal’s attitude as a critic of ‘modern’ man: thoughtless and destructive towards nature, cruel towards animals. It also presents the artist’s countercultural project related to the idea of the Book as a literary labyrinth that should be traversed slowly with humility and effort, in spite of the endless rush of modern culture. Świat duchowy Josefa Váchala w pryzmacie roku 1920Artykuł prezentuje duchowe poszukiwania jednego z najbardziej oryginalnych czeskich artystów XX wieku. Materiałem interpretacyjnym są zarówno teksty literackie autora, jak i jego prace plastyczne. W pierwszej części tekstu przedstawiono ogólny zarys poglądów autora na sprawy Boga, Szatana, katolicyzmu, Kościoła, natury, okultyzmu, mistyki. Podkreślono radykalne zwroty światopoglądu Váchala, a także aporie i niekonsekwencje jego przekonań. Ważnym wątkiem w tej części tekstu jest ukazanie związków spirytualnych wierzeń i lęków Váchala z krytyką współczesnej cywilizacji. W drugiej części artykułu uwaga autora skupiła się na jednym roku z życia artysty. Powstałe w 1920 dzieła plastyczne i literackie tworzone były z niezwykłą intensywnością i w ogromnym napięciu moralnym wynikłym z nawiązania pozamałżeńskiego związku z kochanką. Nie obniżyło to ich literackiej i malarskiej jakości. Poza przybliżeniem czytelnikowi tych niezwykłych dzieł druga część artykułu poddaje szczegółowej analizie postawę Váchala jako krytyka „nowoczesnego” człowieka: bezmyślnego i destrukcyjnego wobec natury, okrutnego wobec zwierząt. Prezentuje też kontrkulturowy projekt artysty związany z ideą Księgi jako czytelniczego labiryntu, przemierzanego powoli, z pokorą i wysiłkiem, na przekór cywilizacji rządzonej przez bożka pośpiechu.

Hukum Menikahi Wanita Hamil Karena Zina Menurut Pandangan Imam Syafi’i dan Diimplimentasikan di Kantor Urusan Agama Tanjung Pura

This study discusses the main problem, namely about how Imam Syafi'i thought about the law of marrying pregnant women because of adultery, and how the legal consequences arising from his thoughts. The method used in collecting data is library research, while the research data is doctrinal. The approach used is the ushul fiqh approach, which is to explain the opinions and arguments of Imam Syafi'i about the law of marrying pregnant women because of adultery. With the above method, it can be seen the reasons for Imam Shafi'i in his thinking about the law of marrying a pregnant woman because of adultery. Imam Shafi'i is of the opinion that a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of an extramarital relationship can be married by anyone. Be it by men who experienced it or by men who did not impregnate her. Imam Syafi'i argues that children resulting from adultery do not have musharah with their biological father. Regarding the issue of 'iddah, Imam Shafi'i is of the opinion that pregnant women due to extramarital relations do not have an 'iddah period. This is because the purpose of 'iddah is to respect the sperm or fetus contained in the woman (which is channeled through a legal relationship). While adultery is a relationship that is unlawful and illegitimate, therefore the sperm or fetus from the result of adultery is not obligatory to be respected. For this reason, Imam Shafi'i also argues that if women who are pregnant out of wedlock have performed a valid marriage contract, then they are allowed to have biological relations without having to wait for the birth of the baby they are carrying. Keywords: Law; Marrying a Pregnant Woman for Adultery; Imam Shafi'i's view

Non-Veneral Genital Dermatoses: A Study from Western Nepal

Introduction: The etiology of dermatoses involving genital areas could be venereal or on-venereal. These disorders are responsible for mental distress and guilt which can be minimized by appropriate diagnosis and information to the patients. Objectives: To assess the clinical pattern and prevalence of various non venereal genital dermatoses in a referral center. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based descriptive study involving patients with non-venereal diseases visiting outpatient clinics of Department of Dermatology. After informed consent, all the parameters were recorded in a proforma and analyzed. Results: Total of 70 patients with non-venereal genital dermatoses were included. Mean age of the patients was 33 years. Majority were male, married and had history of irregular use of contraceptives. Duration of symptoms ranged from one to 36 months with mean of four months. Total 19 types of non-venereal skin diseases were noted with major complaint of itching in genitalia in 22 (31.4%). Primary site of involvement/complaint was vulva in 19 (27.1%), scrotum in 17 (24.3%), groin in 18 (25.7%) and penile area in 14 (20.0%). The most common final dermatological diagnosis in majority was fungal infections and neurodermatitis in 12.9% each. Extramarital relationship was reported by 37 out of 70 patients (52.9%), while 31 patients correlated their symptoms with sexual exposure. Conclusions: Itching was the most common presenting complaint with infective etiology. The current study highlighted the relevance of addressing non-venereal genital dermatoses in order to avoid the general misconception that all genital lesions are sexually transmitted.

Hypersexuality in a Bangladeshi Female: A Case Report

Hypersexuality has been a debated disorder, which has not been able to secure its place into the classificatory systems. This article was aimed to report a female with hypersexuality in Bangladesh. Mrs X, a 20-year-old married lady, presented with the complaints of irritability, low mood, sleep disturbances for last one month. As per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) criteria and mental state examination findings, she was labeled as a case of major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder. Her early childhood was uneventful, and she got married 2 years back after having a love relationship with the person. Immediately after her marriage, she was used to enjoy sex for 5 to 6 hours daily as she used to enjoy 5 to 6 orgasms per day. The couple enjoyed their sex daily, even the in the days of menstruation. For last one year her husband stopped daily intercourses as well as the duration of the intercourses was also decreased below 1 hour. Subsequently, the lady felt disturbances and used to demand sex more time as well as orgasms daily. She used to consume pornography, masturbate, and started extramarital relationship for sexual activity. She enjoys her persistent thoughts, fantasies regarding sex; however, she became frustrated when she was not getting expected duration and expected number of orgasms. She asked her husband to divorce her as he was not being able to have intercourses for 5 to 6 hours daily. This is the first reported case of hypersexuality in a sexually conservative country like Bangladesh which may open the whole hidden problem.

Paper Affairs: Discipline by the Dossier in a Mao-Era Work Unit

This article examines how dossier files informed the handling of personnel misconduct in Chinese work units using an investigation of adultery as a case study. By the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), the disciplinary functions of the dossier system were an embedded feature of social control in the work unit, partially shifting responsibility for policing petty crime to local administrators. In this case, the revelation of an extramarital relationship in 1974 set off a bureaucratic operation to produce documentary proof of the alleged wrongdoing. The thick case file prepared by the work unit investigators grew to include a tranche of seized love letters, a series of dubious confessions, and detailed bureaucratic reports. The preparation of evidence bound for the dossier demonstrates the extent to which the demands of documentation formed a distinct end of the investigative process, while revealing how people and paper were mobilized to deal with a minor administrative affair.

An epidemiological study into risk factors of suicidal ideation and attempt among young and adult population in rural Pondicherry, India

Background: Suicide is one of the major public health problems in low and middle income countries. However, information about causes and risk factors are insufficient. Objectives of the study were to find out prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt among young and adult population in rural Pondicherry and to analyse the risk factors qualitatively.Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 18-44 years’ population in rural Pondicherry during January to June 2012. Total 200 subjects were interviewed by house to house visit. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, concurrent illness, family and personal history were obtained. Factors contributing to suicidal ideation and attempt were collected through FGDs, free listing and pile sorting exercise. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. Qualitative data analyzed using Anthropac 4.98.1/X software.Results: 8% subjects had ever attempted and 7.5% had ideas of suicide. Suicidal ideation/ attempt were more among males and 36-45 years group. Physical disability, infertility/sterility and chronic illness were significantly associated with suicidal ideation or attempt. Family dispute, history of beaten by spouse and family history of suicide/attempt was significantly associated with ideation. Alcoholism, failed relationship, physical abuses were strongly associated with ideas of suicide or attempt. Risk factors for males include failed relationships, more than one wife, family dispute, alcoholism etc. Risk factors for females include failed relationship, poor performance in exam, quarrel with friends, unemployment, alcoholic husband, pressure for dowry, extramarital relationship by husband etc.Conclusions: Suicidal attempt and ideation rates were high in study area and demand population based mental health interventions to reduce population suicide rates.