The story of sex, erotica, and pornography X. - The Middle Ages 1.

The Christian Church became increasingly influential and in the Medieval period. By the middle of the third century, it was increasingly accepted by society and politics.  Around 400 AD, it began to develop a new system of sexual rules that focused on the concepts of holiness and purity. It took two approaches to sexuality.

One did not distinguish between sexual relations between men and women or between men and women. Instead, it condemned the act itself and supported Platonic relations. Interestingly, the legal relationship that has survived from the Roman tradition, in which one man recognizes another as his brother, has survived until the early Middle Ages. The formal marriage did not exist in Christian communities, but long-term relationships were characterized by commitment. Besides, several poems suggest the existence of lesbian relationships, even in areas where homosexual relationships were not recognized in the XII century. Until the end of the twentieth century, it was common in Christian beliefs that the same norms judged homosexuality and heterosexuality.

XIII. century in France

wikipedia

By the end of the Middle Ages, most Catholic parishes and states had accepted and lived the belief that sexual behavior was the so-called under natural law it was aimed at reproduction. And according to them, inappropriate sexual acts, i.e., oral and anal sex as well as masturbation, were found guilty. However, homosexual acts were considered a crime, and most civil law codes punished these “unnatural acts,” especially in regions where the influence of the church was strong.

For example, In the XIII. century in France, homosexual behavior between men was punished for the first time by castration, the second time by limb slaughter, and the third time by burning participants. For lesbian acts, the first two sets of body parts could be severed, and the third time they could be sentenced to death by a bonfire. In the middle of the XIV. century, civil laws criminalizing homosexuality appeared in many cities in Italy, and the city government was entitled to confiscate the perpetrator’s property.

wikipedia

The depiction of homosexuality in the arts appeared in the late middle age or new age. In the Renaissance, Latin and Greek influence revived in Europe. The “neo-Latin” poets once again portrayed men’s love in a positive light.

Read about troubadours, brothels and bathhouses here!