ABSTRACT
Gender constituted one of the key foundations of the European order, shaping almost every sphere – social, economic, religious and political. Though there were significant changes over the early modern period, the fundamental assumptions underpinning educated and popular thinking, very different from those of today, survived intact. Knowing that gender would be a major factor shaping their children's future, parents raised them accordingly. Education was about absorbing values as well as skills, and concepts of honour and reputation remained firmly gender-based. Gender was equally reflected in the judicial system. Judges, lawyers and juries were male, and the law regarded husband and wife as one person, the man. The early modern period witnessed several significant changes affecting both gender and the family. The ideal family was seen as a loving partnership, but one in which the husband's supremacy was sacrosanct. In many other respects, however, the family differed sharply from its modern equivalent, in character, function and composition.
