Cette thèse de doctorat étudie la séparation des époux princiers sous ses différentes formes, ainsi que les pratiques mises en oeuvre par les conjoints de la haute noblesse en de telles occasions. L’expression séparation conjugale permet de désigner des cas de figure divers : suspensions plus ou moins durables de la cohabitation entre mari et femme, ou désunions définitives, ces situations étant judiciairement sanctionnées ou non. La recherche s’appuie sur l’observatoire privilégié que constituent les couples mariés de la deuxième Maison d’Orléans aux XIVe-XVe siècles, car les vies maritales de ces ducs et duchesses permettent d’envisager un échantillon très diversifié de situations. Cette analyse permet de montrer que mariage et vie de couple renvoient à des réalités complexes, bien plus diverses que ce que suggèrent les prescriptions de l’Église et des laïcs sur le lien matrimonial et la vie conjugale. L’objectif de ce travail est également d’améliorer notre compréhension de la structure mari-femme et du fonctionnement des couples dans l’aristocratie princière. L’étude éclaire par conséquent les solidarités à l’œuvre entre les époux, lorsque ceux-ci se retrouvent séparés sans que cette situation ait été provoquée par leur volonté de ne plus se côtoyer. Elle montre que le couple se définit avant tout par des liens économiques entre mari et femme. La thèse permet aussi, en retour, de souligner les marges d’action dont peuvent disposer les conjoints, l’un par rapport à l’autre et dans la société, lorsqu’au moins l’un des époux entend mettre fin à la vie commune ou au mariage. / This PhD thesis deals with the topic of marital separation in its various forms; it aims at analyzing the behaviors which are implemented by spouses of higher nobility on such occasions. The phrase marital separation may be used to designate a wide range of configurations: for example, when husband and wife, though still married, are not living together, or when a marriage comes to an end, all these situations being reached through a legal process or not. This research is especially based on a thorough analysis examining the couples of the Second House of Orleans in the 14th and 15th centuries, as the marital lives of these Dukes and Duchesses provide a large sample of possible cases of separation. The research shows that the realities associated with marriage and married life are much more complex than what ecclesiastical and secular rules suggest on these matters. Another purpose of this thesis is to improve our understanding of the conjugal structure in princely aristocracy and of how married couples work. Therefore, the study sheds light on the solidarities shared by spouses when their separation does not derive from their own will to part. It shows that married couples are primarily defined by economic bonds between husband and wife. This work also highlights the possible autonomy enjoyed by spouses, in society and towards each other, in the cases where at least one of them intends to adjourn cohabitation or wants to put an end to their marriage.

The question of whether or not to release an accused on bail pending case resolution involves an evaluation of the risk the accused poses to the community. In addition to this evaluation, the risk posed to the reputation of the criminal justice system should the accused re-offend while on bail has come to influence the timeliness of the bail decision as well as the conditions of the release order. It appears that questions of institutional risk have intensified strategies of process, whereby the bail decision making process has come to take considerably longer as court actors postpone making the release decision. This organizational culture of risk aversion is evidenced in the growing remand population, the dominance of adjournment requests, the presumption of surety supervision, as well as the imposition of numerous restrictive conditions of release that are questionably related to the grounds for detention and allegations of the offence. Due to the additional protections contained in the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), the expectation is bail should be more liberally used for youths. However, despite the additional legislated protections, bail practices for both adults and youths are operating in remarkably similar ways. Indeed, it appears that routine bail practices for both adults and youths are inconsistent with the essential principles of the bail process. In Canada there is a presumption in favour of release on bail and a presumption of release on the least restrictive form of release appropriate in the circumstances. Despite these principles there has been a relatively steady increase in the size of the remand population in Canada. Focusing on the situation in Ontario, this dissertation examines the bail process in an effort to understand how the remand population has come to exceed the population of sentenced prisoners in provincial prisons for both adults and youths.

The question of whether or not to release an accused on bail pending case resolution involves an evaluation of the risk the accused poses to the community. In addition to this evaluation, the risk posed to the reputation of the criminal justice system should the accused re-offend while on bail has come to influence the timeliness of the bail decision as well as the conditions of the release order. It appears that questions of institutional risk have intensified strategies of process, whereby the bail decision making process has come to take considerably longer as court actors postpone making the release decision. This organizational culture of risk aversion is evidenced in the growing remand population, the dominance of adjournment requests, the presumption of surety supervision, as well as the imposition of numerous restrictive conditions of release that are questionably related to the grounds for detention and allegations of the offence. Due to the additional protections contained in the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), the expectation is bail should be more liberally used for youths. However, despite the additional legislated protections, bail practices for both adults and youths are operating in remarkably similar ways. Indeed, it appears that routine bail practices for both adults and youths are inconsistent with the essential principles of the bail process. In Canada there is a presumption in favour of release on bail and a presumption of release on the least restrictive form of release appropriate in the circumstances. Despite these principles there has been a relatively steady increase in the size of the remand population in Canada. Focusing on the situation in Ontario, this dissertation examines the bail process in an effort to understand how the remand population has come to exceed the population of sentenced prisoners in provincial prisons for both adults and youths.