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Marital violence is transcultural, immutable and constitutes a condemnable but undeniable social reality. This violence, generally presented and perceived like a male violence, is in fact more complex. It is not solely based on the instrumentalization and use of force, which is only a means to an end. Marital violence can be seen as a direct manifestation of a power struggle within the home, to implement what we describe as 'domestic sovereignty'?. Reproaches, insults, and blows are the most visible and identifiable signs of this violence in the Marseille urban landscape of the xviiith century. But what are the fundamental causes of marital violence? This violence does not belong to the private but to public sphere. Living in a city means living with 'strange neighbors'?, well aware of all that is said and seen in the immediate territory that forms the district, governed by its codes, its standards and its laws. Marital violence is thus at the crossroads of public, legal, and mental spaces. To catch a glimpse of these forms of violence, the criminal files of the s?n?chauss?e of Marseille in the Age of Enlightenment deliver some keys to understand that beyond the blows and the insults, the Marseille society is revealed in all its complexity. The crisis of the matrimonial union results from a complex mix of sensitivity, honor, and interests.