Traumatizing Facts About Sex in the Middle Ages

The dark side of desire, fear, and power that history books left out

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Sex in the Middle Ages was not merely a private affair — it was irreparably tied to religion, law, and social order in ways that might shock you.

Although it is tempting to imagine the time as prudish or downright repressive, the truth was much more complex.

Behind castle doors and through whispered rumors, medieval folks managed to navigate a world rife with rules and fears but also some surprising freedoms when it came to sex.

From the Church’s repressive rules about what was “natural” to the rampant proliferation of prostitution in urban centers, sex was never not discussed in public.

Midwives, sinners and, as this book suggests, inquisitors, too, were involved in shaping the meaning and control of sexuality.

This story gets into the interesting — not to mention sometimes scandalous — facts about sex in the Middle Ages that history books don’t always teach us.

Midwives were accused of forcing women to have sex with the devil

One of the defining features of the later part of the Middle Ages is the prevalence of trials for…