La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique

In this article, based on material from Saurashtra (Gujarat) and Rajasthan, I try to trace the history of the sati rite, the suicide of women on the funeral pyre of their husbands. The earliest documented instances of the rite (12th century) appear as individually chosen acts, generally to avenge sp...

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Main Author: Harald Tambs-Lyche
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Conserveries Mémorielles 2013-07-01
Series:Conserveries Mémorielles
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cm/1519
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author Harald Tambs-Lyche
author_facet Harald Tambs-Lyche
author_sort Harald Tambs-Lyche
collection DOAJ
description In this article, based on material from Saurashtra (Gujarat) and Rajasthan, I try to trace the history of the sati rite, the suicide of women on the funeral pyre of their husbands. The earliest documented instances of the rite (12th century) appear as individually chosen acts, generally to avenge specific events, which fit into a wider pattern of stories of female heroism. Much later, from the 17th century onwards, the number of satis grows dramatically, until death on the pyre becomes an obligation for all the king’s women – queens, concubines and servants – on the ruler’s death. Clearly, suicide is now imposed on women by the political and religious order. I try to show how this development of sati relates to the diminishing importance of the queen at court, as the ministers and bureaucracy of the early modern state comes to prevail over the earlier importance of marriage alliances for the Royal House.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-fe156b42b4504be193f4a69e976c144e2025-02-05T16:16:28ZdeuConserveries MémoriellesConserveries Mémorielles1718-55562013-07-01La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politiqueHarald Tambs-LycheIn this article, based on material from Saurashtra (Gujarat) and Rajasthan, I try to trace the history of the sati rite, the suicide of women on the funeral pyre of their husbands. The earliest documented instances of the rite (12th century) appear as individually chosen acts, generally to avenge specific events, which fit into a wider pattern of stories of female heroism. Much later, from the 17th century onwards, the number of satis grows dramatically, until death on the pyre becomes an obligation for all the king’s women – queens, concubines and servants – on the ruler’s death. Clearly, suicide is now imposed on women by the political and religious order. I try to show how this development of sati relates to the diminishing importance of the queen at court, as the ministers and bureaucracy of the early modern state comes to prevail over the earlier importance of marriage alliances for the Royal House.https://journals.openedition.org/cm/1519suicideIndiaRajput statessatiwomenmiddle ages
spellingShingle Harald Tambs-Lyche
La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique
Conserveries Mémorielles
suicide
India
Rajput states
sati
women
middle ages
title La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique
title_full La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique
title_fullStr La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique
title_full_unstemmed La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique
title_short La sati indienne au travers de l’histoire. Du suicide héroïque aux martyres du système socio-politique
title_sort la sati indienne au travers de l histoire du suicide heroique aux martyres du systeme socio politique
topic suicide
India
Rajput states
sati
women
middle ages
url https://journals.openedition.org/cm/1519
work_keys_str_mv AT haraldtambslyche lasatiindienneautraversdelhistoiredusuicideheroiqueauxmartyresdusystemesociopolitique