Copenhagen Complains - Conflict and Justice in the 18th Century

Drunken craftsmen, rotten sewers, violent spouses, angry neighbours, threats on the streets and freezing homes - there was plenty to complain about in 18th-century Copenhagen. And complain people did: tens of thousands of complaints reached the city council, which attempted to reconcile the disputing parties and maintain social order. The complaints covered everything from money matters and working conditions to family conflicts, slander and violence - driven by a desire for justice and the right to be heard in a society marked by strict hierarchies and great inequality.

Today the complaints are preserved in protocols and handwritten letters at Copenhagen City Archives, forming a unique source material for the city's and its citizens' history.

In the lecture, professor Ulrik Langen from the University of Copenhagen and archivist Peter Wessel Hansen from Copenhagen City Archives guide the audience through everyday life, conflict and concepts of justice in 18th-century Copenhagen.