The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages

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History is written by the victors, but not so for the history of sex: most of what we know of sex in the middle ages comes from court records in which sexual crimes are judged, and medieval literature, which is filled with sexual innuendos. However, at times its detail is overwhelming, with a barrage of a names and dates that seemingly have little importance to the overall narrative. The truth about sex in the middle ages is complex, contradictory, and greatly varied by region and individuals, so the author argues, backed up by many court records and other documents.

Thomas Filbin is a book critic whose work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Boston Sunday Globe, and Hudson Review. By exploring their sex lives, the book brings ordinary medieval people to life and reveals details of their most personal thoughts and experiences.

Rolandino Ronchaia (in 14th-century Venice) might be described as intersex, a man who, because of a hormonal imbalance, was more feminine than masculine. Being the most fundamental biological goal, studying it is bound to reveal a good deal about the mores and thoughts of its practitioners. I especially recommend to any one attempting to understand the complex gender roles of the Middle Ages. One drawback, is that I would have liked it to go into more detail on certain topics, a big gap in the book (in my opinion) is the lack of discuss on child birth and birthing practices. Although Mary was pre-eminent among the medieval virgin-saints, she had numerous popular counterparts, notably the Virgin Martyrs.

On display are men who were burnt to death for rape, men who received nothing more but a small fine for rape, women who got impregnated by demons who collected the wasted seed of masturbators, and everything weird and wonderful, normal and shocking you can think of in between (everything, that is, except for oral sex). He eventually dressed as a woman, was known as Rolandina, and had sex with men, hiding as much of himself as would be recognized and allowing penetration so the male partner was often deceived and thought him a woman. The church (then or now) hasn’t dared to admit just how blatantly ineffective it is to deny basic human needs and inclinations.There are passionate stories and horrible ones but the infatuation with the Middle Ages as a period so far and almost subhuman compared to our own allows us the pleasure of not recognizing our own flaws: something Harvey forces us to confront. On the other hand, the sex worker’s wages were earned through bodily labor so she was allowed to keep them.

She holds a PhD in Medieval History from Kings College London and has published widely on medieval topics, including sexuality, gender, emotions and the body. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of the topic and Harvey moves effortlessly round her varied sources.Learned, fun and full of surprises - a fascinating, wide-ranging guide to medieval sexual attitudes and experiences. With unabashed directness, a delicate touch of wit, and constant humanity, Katherine Harvey surveys the world of medieval sex and sexuality. There were some moments, like referring to Harvey Weinstein as Harry, that held it back from 5 star. The paperback was published in October 2022, and was included in the Best Paperbacks of 2022 list in the Sunday Times.

This woman’s sin was nearly uncovered, but Mary intervened by spiriting her baby away to be raised by a hermit and eradicating all physical signs of her ordeal. Katherine Harvey does a good job at dismantling modern misconceptions and stereotypes, and has a real eye for vivid anecdotes, such as using surnames—Simon Fukkebotere, William Smallfuk, and Roger Fuckbythenavele to name but a few—to show how the English verb 'to fuck' shifted in meaning from 'to strike or beat' to its modern meaning by the fifteenth century. Large and loose breasts suggested ample sexual experience and that impression might damage a single woman’s reputation.

I can't think of a more brilliant Christmas book to give to one's significant other if they have even a passing interest in medieval Europe or the rich and extraordinary sex life of its inhabitants. Learned, fun, and full of surprises – a fascinating, wide-ranging guide to medieval sexual attitudes and experiences. The writing style is smooth and the book is a real page turner, full of snippets of everyday life from this period. Despite its high ideals and strong rhetoric, medieval Christianity was ultimately a religion that offered hope and the possibility of forgiveness. There is no better guide to what occurs betwixt the sheets of the medieval bedroom than Katherine Harvey.