Infanticide, secular justice, and religious debate in early modern Europe

This book focuses on an obscure case of infanticide (18th century) in order to pursue a heated debate on the essence of life and the nature of the soul, where theological, moral and scientific principles come into conflict. On 5 December 1709 in Bologna Lucia Cremonini is accused of a terrible crime: the murder of her newborn son. This tragic episode, exhumed from the depths of time, is placed at the centre of an enthralling study by one of the leading scholars of modern history and the history of religious beliefs. During the course of a dramatic trial the crime is debated by representatives of religious, philosophical, moral, and scientific culture, all characteristic of the formative period of the modern world and all seeking a convincing answer to fundamental questions.