ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 examines the judicial settlement of abduction with matrimonial intent by looking at penalties issued by secular and ecclesiastical authorities. It contends that although abductions could certainly have serious legal consequences, most abductors got out relatively easily. Judges and especially bailiffs had some room to manoeuvre when promulgating penalties and they did not adopt uniform policies across the Low Countries or over the fifteenth century. People judged by these officials, however, also had space to interpret the law. Their interactions with the law reveal an impressive degree of legal knowledge.
