🎧Sex in the Middle Ages with Katherine Harvey
Archive of Dan Snow's History Hit 🎧 • 21m
Please note that this episode contains conversation about sex that you might not want to listen to in the presence of children.
What did medieval people really think about sex, and were those thoughts all that different from ours today?
The medieval humoral system of medicine suggested that it was possible to die from having too much-or too little-sex, while the Roman Catholic Church taught that virginity was the ideal state. Holy men and women committed themselves to lifelong abstinence in the name of religion. Everyone was forced to conform to restrictive rules about sex with, and could be harshly punished for getting it wrong. More familiarly, medieval people faced challenges in finding a suitable partner and also struggled with many of the same social issues that we face today.
Dan is joined by Katherine Harvey, Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and author of ‘The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages’. Katherine holds a PhD in Medieval History from King’s College London and has published widely on medieval topics, including sexuality, gender, emotions and the body. Join Dan and Katherine as they discuss sex through the ages, as relating to general attitudes, frequency, religion and marriage.
Up Next in Archive of Dan Snow's History Hit 🎧
-
🎧 Storytime with the Snows: Boudica
In a special episode of the podcast, Dan's children join him for a lively retelling of Boudica and the violent uprising that tore Roman Britain apart - a classic bedtime story in the Snow household. Merry Christmas from Dan and his family!
-
🎧How Julius Caesar Changed Time
We’re finishing off 2021 with what is perhaps Julius Caesar’s greatest legacy. It’s not a military victory or battle, but one of the many political reforms that truly has stood the test of time: the Julian calendar. Before, calendars were largely based on the lunar calendar, and believe it or not...
-
🎧A Medieval Christmas
Ever wondered why we call Christmas, ‘Christmas’? And why it’s celebrated on the 25th December? Or maybe where the Christmas tree came from, the Yule log, the nativity, Father Christmas and even the advent calendar?
Well you might be surprised to learn they’re all rooted in medieval traditions. ...
