What do you know about medieval. What are the Middle Ages? What is the Late Middle Ages

Middle Ages. The most controversial and controversial era in the history of mankind. Some perceive it as the times of beautiful ladies and noble knights, minstrels and buffoons, when spears broke, feasts rustled, serenades were sung and sermons sounded. For others, the Middle Ages is a time of fanatics and executioners, the fires of the Inquisition, stinking cities, epidemics, cruel customs, unsanitary conditions, general darkness and savagery.

Moreover, fans of the first option are often ashamed of their admiration for the Middle Ages, they say that they understand that everything was not so, but they love the outer side of knightly culture. While the supporters of the second option are sincerely sure that the Middle Ages were not called the Dark Ages for nothing, it was the most terrible time in the history of mankind.

The fashion to scold the Middle Ages appeared back in the Renaissance, when there was a sharp denial of everything that had to do with the recent past (as we know), and then, with the light hand of 19th century historians, they began to consider this most dirty, cruel and rough Middle Ages ... the fall of the ancient states and until the very XIX century, declared the triumph of reason, culture and justice. Then the myths developed, which now wander from article to article, frightening fans of chivalry, the sun king, pirate novels, and in general all romantics from history.

Myth 1. All knights were stupid, dirty, uneducated dorks

This is probably the most fashionable myth. Every second article about the horrors of Medieval morals ends with unobtrusive morality - look, they say, dear women, how lucky you are, no matter what modern men are, they are definitely better than the knights you dream of.

Let's leave the dirt for later, this myth will be a separate conversation. As for ignorance and stupidity ... I thought here recently how funny it would be if our time was studied by the culture of "brothers". You can imagine what would then be a typical representative of modern men. And you can't prove that men are all different, there is always a universal answer to this - "this is an exception."

In the Middle Ages, men, oddly enough, were also all different. Charlemagne collected folk songs, built schools, he himself knew several languages. Richard the Lionheart, considered a typical representative of chivalry, wrote poetry in two languages. Karl the Bold, whom in literature they like to deduce as a kind of macho boor, knew Latin perfectly and loved to read ancient authors. Francis I was patronized by Benvenuto Cellini and Leonardo da Vinci.

The polygamist Henry VIII knew four languages, played the lute and loved the theater. And this list can be continued. But the main thing is that they were all sovereigns, models for their subjects, and even for smaller rulers. They were guided by them, they were imitated, and those who could, as his sovereign, both knock the enemy off his horse and write an ode to the Beautiful Lady, enjoyed respect.

Yeah, they will tell me - we know these Beautiful Ladies, they had nothing to do with their wives. So let's move on to the next myth.

Myth 2. The "noble knights" treated their wives as property, beat them and did not give a penny

To begin with, I will repeat what I have already said - men were different. And in order not to be unfounded, I remember a noble seigneur from the XII century, Etienne II de Blois. This knight was married to a certain Adele of Norman, daughter of William the Conqueror and his beloved wife Matilda. Etienne, as befits a zealous Christian, went on a crusade, and his wife remained to wait for him at home and manage the estate.

A seemingly banal story. But its peculiarity is that Etienne's letters to Adele have reached us. Gentle, passionate, yearning. Detailed, intelligent, analytical. These letters are a valuable source on the crusades, but they are also evidence of how much a medieval knight could love not some mythical Lady, but his own wife.

You can remember Edward I, whom the death of his adored wife knocked down and brought to the grave. His grandson Edward III lived in love and harmony with his wife for over forty years. Louis XII, having married, turned from the first lecher of France into a faithful husband. Whatever the skeptics say, love is a phenomenon that does not depend on the era. And always, at all times, they tried to marry their beloved women.

Now let's move on to more practical myths that are actively promoted in the cinema and strongly knock down the romantic mood among fans of the Middle Ages.

Myth 3. Cities were a dumping ground for sewage.

Oh, what they just do not write about medieval cities. Up to the point that I have come across a statement that the walls of Paris had to be completed so that the sewage poured over the city wall would not flow back. Effective, isn't it? And in the same article it was argued that since in London, human waste was poured into the Thames, it was also a continuous stream of sewage. My rich imagination immediately began to run into hysterics, because I could not imagine where so much sewage could have come from in a medieval city.

This is not a modern multi-million dollar metropolis - 40-50 thousand people lived in medieval London, and not much more in Paris. Let's leave aside completely fairy tale with a wall and imagine the Thames. This is not the smallest river splashes into the sea 260 cubic meters of water per second. If you measure this in baths, you get more than 370 baths. Per second. I think further comments are superfluous.

However, no one denies that medieval cities were by no means fragrant with roses. And now one has only to turn off the sparkling avenue and look into the dirty streets and dark gateways, as you understand - the washed and lit city is very different from its dirty and smelly underside.

Myth 4. People haven't washed for many years

It is also very fashionable to talk about washing. And here are absolutely real examples - monks who did not wash for years because of an excess of "holiness", a nobleman who also did not wash because of his religiosity, almost died and was washed by his servants. And they also like to remember the princess Isabella of Castile (many saw her in the recently released film "The Golden Age"), who vowed not to change underwear until the victory was won. And poor Isabella kept her word for three years.

But again, the conclusions are strange - the lack of hygiene is declared the norm. The fact that all the examples are about people who made a vow not to wash, that is, they saw in this some kind of feat, asceticism, is not taken into account. By the way, Isabella's act caused a great resonance throughout Europe, in honor of her a new color was even invented, so everyone was shocked by the vow made by the princess.

And if you read the history of baths, or even better - go to the corresponding museum, you can be amazed at the variety of shapes, sizes, materials from which the baths were made, as well as ways of heating water. At the beginning of the 18th century, which they also like to call the dirty century, one English count even had a marble bath in his house with taps for hot and cold water- the envy of all the acquaintances who went to his house as on an excursion.

Queen Elizabeth I took a bath once a week and demanded that all courtiers also wash more often. Louis XIII generally gets wet in the bath every day. And his son Louis XIV, whom they like to cite as an example as a dirty king, because he just didn't like baths, wiped himself with alcohol lotions and loved to swim in the river (but there will be a separate story about him).

However, to understand the inconsistency of this myth, it is not necessary to read historical works. It is enough to look at the paintings of different eras. Even from the sanctimonious Middle Ages, there are many engravings depicting bathing, washing in baths and baths. And already in later times they especially liked to portray half-dressed beauties in baths.

Well, the most important argument. It is worth looking at the statistics of soap production in the Middle Ages to understand that everything that is said about the general reluctance to wash is a lie. Otherwise, why would you need to produce so much soap?

Myth 5. Everyone smelled terribly.

This myth directly follows from the previous one. And he also has real proof - the Russian ambassadors at the French court complained in letters that the French "stink terribly." From which it was concluded that the French did not wash, stank and tried to drown out the smell with perfume (about perfume - a well-known fact).

This myth flashed even in Tolstoy's novel "Peter I". Explanation to him - it couldn't be easier. In Russia, it was not customary to stifle strongly, while in France they simply doused with perfume. And for a Russian man, a Frenchman who smelled abundantly of perfume was "stinking like a wild beast." Those who traveled in public transport next to a heavily perfumed lady will understand them well.

True, there is one more evidence concerning the same long-suffering Louis XIV. His favorite, Madame Montespan, once, in a fit of a quarrel, shouted that the king stinks. The king was offended and soon after that he parted with the mistress completely. It seems strange - if the king was offended by the fact that he stinks, then why not wash himself? Because the smell was not coming from the body. Louis had serious health problems, and with age, he began to smell bad from the mouth. Nothing could be done, and naturally the king was very worried about this, so Montespan's words were a blow to his sore spot for him.

By the way, do not forget that in those days there was no industrial production, the air was clean, and the food might not be very healthy, but at least without chemistry. And therefore, on the one hand, the hair and skin did not become greasy longer (remember our air of megacities, which quickly makes washed hair dirty), so people, in principle, did not need to wash longer. And with human sweat, water, salts were released, but not all those chemicals that are full in the body of a modern person.

Myth 6. Clothes and hairstyles were infested with lice and fleas

This is a very popular myth. And he has a lot of evidence - flea traps that were really worn by noble ladies and gentlemen, references to insects in literature as something taken for granted, fascinating stories about monks who were almost eaten alive by fleas. All this really testifies - yes, fleas and lice in medieval Europe were. Only now the conclusions are more than strange. Let's think logically. What does a flea trap generally indicate? Or an animal to which these fleas should jump? It does not even take a special fantasy to understand - this is evidence of a long war, going on with varying success, between humans and insects.

Myth 7. No one cared about hygiene.

What should have happened to humanity in early XIX century, so that before that he liked everything to be dirty and lousy, and then suddenly suddenly disliked?

If you look through the instructions on the construction of castle toilets, you can find curious notes that the drain should be built so that everything goes into the river, and does not lie on the shore, spoiling the air. Apparently people didn't really like the stench after all.

Let's go further. There is a famous story about how a noble Englishwoman was reprimanded about her dirty hands. The lady retorted: “You call this mud? You should have seen my legs. " This is also cited as an example of lack of hygiene. Has anyone thought about strict English etiquette, according to which you cannot even tell a person that he spilled wine on his clothes - it is impolite. And suddenly the lady is told that her hands are dirty. It is to what extent other guests must have been outraged to break the rules of good manners and make such a remark.

And the laws that were now and then issued by the authorities of different countries - for example, bans to pour slop into the street, or the regulation of the construction of toilets.

The problem of the Middle Ages was mainly that it was really difficult to wash at that time. Summer does not last so long, and in winter not everyone can swim in the ice hole. Firewood for heating water was very expensive; not every nobleman could afford a weekly bath. And besides, not everyone understood that diseases happen from hypothermia or not enough pure water, and under the influence of fanatics, they were written off for washing.

And now we smoothly come to the next myth.

Myth 8. Medicine was practically absent.

You will hear a lot about medieval medicine. And there were no funds other than bloodletting. And they all gave birth by themselves, and without doctors it is even better. And the whole medicine was controlled by some priests, who gave everything to the mercy of God's will and only prayed.

Indeed, the first centuries of Christianity, medicine, as well as other sciences, was mainly engaged in monasteries. There were hospitals and scientific literature there. The monks contributed little to medicine, but they made good use of the achievements of ancient physicians. But already in 1215, surgery was recognized as not a church matter and passed into the hands of barbers.

Of course, the whole history of European medicine simply will not fit into the framework of the article, so I will focus on one person, whose name is known to all readers of Dumas. It is about Ambroise Par, personal physician of Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. A simple enumeration of what this surgeon contributed to medicine is enough to understand the level of surgery in the middle of the 16th century.

Ambroise Paré introduced new way treatment of then new gunshot wounds, invented limb prostheses, began to perform operations to correct the "cleft lip", improved medical instruments, wrote medical works, which were then used by surgeons throughout Europe. And childbirth is still accepted according to his method. But the main thing is that Paré invented a way to amputate limbs so that a person does not die from blood loss. And surgeons still use this method.

But he did not even have an academic education, he was just a student of another doctor. Not bad for dark times?

Conclusion

Needless to say, the real Middle Ages are very different from the fabulous world of knightly novels. But it is no closer to the dirty stories that are still in vogue. True, probably, as always, somewhere in the middle. People were different, they lived in different ways. Hygiene concepts were really wild enough for modern look, but they were, and medieval people cared about cleanliness and health, as far as they could understand.

And all these stories ... someone wants to show how modern people“Cooler” than the medieval ones, someone simply asserts themselves, while someone does not understand the topic at all and repeats other people's words.

And finally - about the memoirs. When talking about terrible manners, lovers of the "dirty Middle Ages" especially like to refer to memoirs. Only for some reason not on Commines or La Rochefoucauld, but on memoirists like Brantome, who published probably the largest collection of gossip in history, seasoned with his own rich imagination.

On this occasion, I propose to recall the post-perestroika anecdote about the trip of a Russian farmer to visit English. He showed the farmer Ivan the bidet and said that his Mary washes there. Ivan wondered - where does Masha wash herself? I came home and asked. She answers:
- Yes, in the river.
- And in winter?
- But how long is that winter ?.
Now let's get an idea of ​​hygiene in Russia based on this anecdote.

I think, if we focus on such sources, then our society will turn out to be no cleaner than the medieval one. Or remember the program about the partying of our bohemia. Let's supplement this with our impressions, gossip, fantasies, and you can write a book about the life of society in modern Russia (why we are worse than Brantom - we are also contemporaries of events). And the descendants will study the customs in Russia at the beginning of the XXI century, be horrified and say what terrible times were ...

P.S. From the comments to the note: Just yesterday I reread the legend about Thiel Ulenspiegel. There, Phillip I says to Phillip II: - You again spent time with an obscene girl, when noble ladies are at your service, refreshing themselves with aromatic baths? And you preferred a girl, more did not have time to wash off traces of a soldier's embrace? Just the most unbridled Middle Ages.

Giotto. Fragment of the painting of the Scrovegni Chapel. 1303-1305 years Wikimedia Commons

Medieval man is primarily a Christian believer. In a broad sense, it can be a resident of Ancient Rus, a Byzantine, a Greek, a Copt, and a Syrian. In a narrow sense, this is a resident of Western Europe, for whom faith speaks Latin.

When he lived

According to textbooks, the Middle Ages begins with the fall of the Roman Empire. But this does not mean that the first medieval man was born in 476. The process of restructuring thinking and the imaginative world stretched for centuries - starting, I think, with Christ. To some extent, medieval man is a convention: there are characters in which a new European type of consciousness is already manifested within the medieval civilization. For example, Peter Abelard, who lived in the XII century, is somewhat closer to us than to his contemporaries, and in Pico della Mirandola Giovanni Pico della Mirandola(1463-1494) - Italian humanist philosopher, author of "Speech on the dignity of man", treatise "On existence and the one", "900 theses on dialectics, morality, physics, mathematics for public discussion" and so on., who is considered the ideal Renaissance philosopher, is very much medieval. Pictures of the world and the era, replacing each other, are intertwined at the same time. Likewise, in the minds of a medieval person, ideas are intertwined that unite him with us and with predecessors, and at the same time, these ideas are in many respects specific.

Searching for God

First of all, in the minds of medieval man, the most important place is Holy Bible... For the entire Middle Ages, the Bible was a book in which one could find answers to all questions, but these answers were never definitive. We often hear that the people of the Middle Ages lived according to predetermined truths. This is only partly true: the truth is indeed predetermined, but it is inaccessible and incomprehensible. Unlike the Old Testament, where there are legislative books, the New Testament does not give clear answers to any question, and the whole meaning of a person's life is to seek these answers himself.

Of course, we are talking primarily about a thinking person, about, for example, who writes poetry, treatises, frescoes. Because it is using these artifacts that we restore their picture of the world. And we know that they are looking for the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is not of this world, it is there. But what it is, no one knows. Christ does not say: do this and that. He tells a parable, and then think for yourself. This is the guarantee of a certain freedom of medieval consciousness, a constant creative search.

Saint Denis and Saint Pyat. Miniature from the Codex "Le livre d" images de madame Marie ", France, circa 1280-1290

Human life

People of the Middle Ages hardly knew how to take care of themselves. Philip III's pregnant wife Philip III the Bold(1245-1285) - the son of Louis IX the Saint, was proclaimed king in Tunisia during the Eighth Crusade, after his father died of the plague., king of France, died after falling from a horse. Who guessed to put her pregnant on a horse ?! And the son of King Henry I of England Henry I(1068-1135) — younger son William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England Wilhelm Etheling, the only heir, with a drunken crew went out on the night of November 25, 1120 on the best ship of the Royal Navy in the English Channel and drowned, crashing on the rocks. The country plunged into turmoil for thirty years, and my father received a beautiful letter from Childebert of Lavarden, written in stoic tones. Childebert of Lavarden(1056-1133) - poet, theologian and preacher.: they say do not worry, owning the country, be able to cope with your grief. A dubious consolation for a politician.

Earthly life in those days was not valued, because another life was valued. The absolute majority of medieval people do not know the date of birth: why write it down if he dies tomorrow?

In the Middle Ages, there was only one ideal of a person - a saint, and only a person who has already passed away can become a saint. This is a very important concept that unites eternity and running time. Until recently, the saint was among us, we could see him, and now he is at the throne of the King. You, here and now, can venerate the relics, look at them, pray to them day and night. Eternity is literally at hand, visible and tangible. Therefore, the relics of the saints were hunted, they were stolen and sawed - in the literal sense of the word. One of the close associates of Louis IX Louis IX Saint(1214-1270) - King of France, leader of the Seventh and Eighth Crusades. Jean Joinville Jean Joinville(1223-1317) - French historian, biographer of Saint Louis. when the king died and was canonized, he made sure that a finger was cut off for him personally from the royal remains.

Bishop Hugh of Lincoln Hugo lincoln(about 1135-1200) - French monk-Cartesian, bishop of the Lincoln diocese, the largest in England. traveled to different monasteries, and the monks showed him their main shrines. When in one monastery they brought him the hand of Mary Magdalene, the bishop took and bite off two pieces from the bone. At first, the abbot and the monks were dumbfounded, then they shouted, but the holy man, apparently, was not embarrassed: he de "showed great reverence to the saint, because he also takes the Body of the Lord inside with his teeth and lips." Then he made himself a bracelet in which he kept particles of the relics of twelve different saints. With this bracelet, his hand was no longer just a hand, but a powerful weapon. Later he himself was canonized.

Face and name

From the 4th to the 12th century, a person seems to have no face. Of course, people distinguished each other by facial features, but everyone knew that the judgment of God is impartial, at the Last Judgment it is not the appearance that is judged, but the actions, the soul of a person. Therefore, there was no individual portrait in the Middle Ages. Somewhere from the 12th century, eyes opened: people became interested in every blade of grass, and after the blade of grass, the whole picture of the world changed. This revival, of course, was reflected in art: in the XII-XIII centuries, sculpture acquired three dimensions, emotions began to appear on faces. In the middle of the 13th century, a portrait resemblance began to appear in the sculptures made for the tombstones of high church hierarchs. Painterly and sculptural portraits of former sovereigns, not to mention less significant persons, are mainly a tribute to conventions and canons. Nevertheless, one of Giotto's customers, the Scrovegni merchant Enrico Scrovegni- a wealthy Padua merchant, on whose order a house church painted by Giotto was built at the beginning of the 14th century - the Scrovegni Chapel., already known to us from quite realistic, individualized images, both in his famous Padua chapel and in his tombstone: comparing the fresco and sculpture, we see how old he is!

We know that Dante did not wear a beard, although his appearance is not described in the "Divine Comedy", we know about the weight and sluggishness of Thomas Aquinas, nicknamed by his classmates the Sicilian Bull. Behind this nickname there is already attention to appearance person. We also know that Barbarossa Frederick I Barbarossa(1122-1190) - Holy Roman Emperor, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade. there was not only a red beard, but also beautiful hands - someone mentioned that.

The individual voice of a person, sometimes considered a part of the culture of the New Age, is heard in the Middle Ages, but it is heard for a long time without a name. There is a voice, but no name. Work medieval art- frescoes, miniatures, icons, even mosaics, the most expensive and prestigious art for many centuries, is almost always anonymous. It's strange for us that Great master does not want to leave his name, but the work itself served as a signature for them. After all, even when all the plots are set, the artist remains an artist: everyone knew how to depict the Annunciation, but a good master always brought his feelings into the image. People knew the names of good masters, but it never occurred to anyone to write them down. And suddenly, somewhere in the XIII-XIV centuries, they acquired names.

Conception of Merlin. Miniature from the Codex "Français 96". France, circa 1450-1455 Bibliothèque nationale de France

Attitude towards sin

In the Middle Ages, of course, there were things that were prohibited and punishable by law. But for the Church, the main thing was not punishment, but repentance.
Medieval man, like us, sinned. All sinned and all confessed. If you are a church person, you cannot be sinless. If you have nothing to say in confession, then something is wrong with you. Saint Francis considered himself the last of the sinners. This is the insoluble conflict of a Christian: on the one hand, you should not sin, but on the other hand, if you suddenly decide that you are sinless, then you are proud. You must imitate the sinless Christ, but in this imitation of yours you cannot cross a certain line. You cannot say: I am the Christ. Or: I am an apostle. This is already heresy.

The system of sins (which are forgiven, which are unforgivable, which mortals, which are not) constantly changed, because they did not stop thinking about it. By the 12th century, such a science as theology appeared, with its own instruments and with its own faculties; one of the tasks of this science was just the development of clear guidelines in ethics.

Wealth

For a medieval person, wealth was a means, not an end, because wealth is not in money, but in having people around you - and in order for them to be around you, you must distribute and spend your wealth. Feudalism is primarily a system of human relationships. If you are higher on the hierarchical ladder, you must be the "father" of your vassals. If you are a vassal, you must love your master in virtually the same way as you love your father or the King of Heaven.

Love

Paradoxically, much in the Middle Ages was done by calculation (not necessarily arithmetic), including marriages. Love marriages known to historians are rare. Most likely, this was not only among the nobility, but also among the peasants, but we know much less about the lower classes: it was not customary there to write down who married whom. But if the nobility counted on the benefit when they betrayed their children, then the poor, who counted every penny, even more so.

Miniature from Lutrell's Psalter. England, circa 1325-1340 British library

Peter of Lombard, a 12th-century theologian, wrote that a husband who passionately loves his wife commits adultery. It's not even about the physical component: it's just that if you give too much to your feelings in marriage, you commit adultery, because the point of marriage is not to become attached to any earthly relationship. Of course, this point of view can be considered an extreme, but it turned out to be influential. If, as it were, you look at it from the inside, then it is the flip side of courtly love: let me remind you that love is never courtly in marriage, moreover, it is always the object of dreaming about possession, but not possession itself.

Symbolism

In any book about the Middle Ages, you will read that this culture is very symbolic. In my opinion, this can be said about any culture. But medieval symbolism was always unidirectional: it somehow correlates with Christian dogma or Christian history that formed this dogma. I mean Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, that is, the history of the saints. And even if some medieval person wants to build his own world for himself within the medieval world - like, for example, Guillaume of Aquitaine Guillaume IX(1071-1126) - Count of Poitiers, Duke of Aquitaine, the first known troubadour., the creator of a new type of poetry, the world of courtly love and the cult of the Beautiful Lady - this world is still being built, correlating with the value system of the Church, in some way imitating it, in some way rejecting it or even parodying it.

Medieval man generally has a very peculiar way of looking at the world. His gaze is directed through the things behind which he seeks to see a certain world order. Therefore, sometimes it may seem that he did not see the world around him, and if he did, then sub specie aeternitatis - from the point of view of eternity, as a reflection of the divine plan, which appears both in the beauty of Beatrice passing by you, and in a frog falling from the sky (sometimes they were thought to be born from the rain). A good example history serves this, as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux(1091-1153) - French theologian, mystic, headed the order of the Cistercians. I rode for a long time along the shores of Lake Geneva, but I was so lost in thought that I did not see him and, with surprise, asked my companions what kind of lake they were talking about.

Antiquity and the Middle Ages

It is believed that the barbarian invasion swept away all the achievements of previous civilizations from the face of the earth, but this is not entirely true. Western European civilization inherited from Antiquity and Christian faith, and a number of values ​​and ideas about Antiquity, alien and hostile to Christianity, pagan. Moreover, the Middle Ages spoke the same language with Antiquity. Of course, much was destroyed and forgotten (schools, political institutions, artistic techniques in art and literature), but the figurative world of medieval Christianity is directly related to the ancient heritage thanks to various kinds of encyclopedias (vaults ancient knowledge about the world - such as, for example, the "Etymology" of St. Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville(560-636) - Archbishop of Seville. His "Etymology" is an encyclopedia of knowledge from various fields, including from ancient writings. He is considered the founder of medieval encyclopedia and the patron saint of the Internet.) and allegorical treatises and poems like "The Marriage of Philology and Mercury" by Marcian Capella Marcian Capella(1st half of the 5th century) - an antique writer, author of the encyclopedia "The Marriage of Philology and Mercury", dedicated to a review of seven liberal arts and written on the basis of ancient writings.... Nowadays, few people read such texts, very few of those who love them, but then, for many centuries, they were read by them. The old gods were saved by just this kind of literature and the tastes of the reading public behind it.

Date of publication: 07.07.2013

The Middle Ages begin with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and end around the 15th and 17th centuries. There are two opposite stereotypes inherent in the Middle Ages. Some believe that this is the time of noble knights and romantic stories... Others believe that this is a time of illness, filth and immorality ...

History

The very term "Middle Ages" was first introduced in 1453 by the Italian humanist Flavio Biondo. Prior to that, the term "dark ages" was used, which currently denotes a narrower period of the medieval period (VI-VIII centuries). This term was introduced into circulation by a professor at the University of Gaul, Christopher Cellarius (Keller). This man also divided world history into antiquity, the Middle Ages and modern times.
It is worth making a reservation, saying that this article will focus specifically on the European Middle Ages.

This period was characterized by a feudal system of land use, when there was a feudal landowner and a peasant half-dependent on him. Also characteristic:
- a hierarchical system of relations between feudal lords, which consisted in the personal dependence of some feudal lords (vassals) on others (lords);
- the key role of the church, both in religion and in politics (inquisition, church courts);
- ideals of chivalry;
- flourishing medieval architecture- Gothic (including art).

In the period from X to XII centuries. population increases European countries, which leads to changes in social, political and other spheres of life. Starting from the XII - XIII centuries. there has been a sharp rise in technology development in Europe. More inventions have been made in a century than in the previous thousand years. During the Middle Ages, cities develop and grow rich, and culture is actively developing.

With the exception of Eastern Europe, which was invaded by the Mongols. Many states in this region were plundered and enslaved.

Life and everyday life

The people of the Middle Ages were highly dependent on weather conditions. So, for example, the great famine (1315 - 1317), which happened due to unusually cold and rainy years that ruined the harvest. As well as plague epidemics. Exactly climatic conditions determined in many ways the way of life and type of activity of medieval man.

During the early Middle Ages, a very large part of Europe was covered with forests. Therefore, the economy of the peasants, in addition to agriculture, was largely oriented towards forest resources. Herds of cattle were driven into the forest to graze. In oak forests, pigs gained fat by feeding on acorns, thanks to which the peasant received a guaranteed supply of meat for the winter. The forest served as a source of firewood for heating and, thanks to it, made charcoal... He brought variety to the food of medieval man, because all kinds of berries and mushrooms grew in it, it was possible to hunt strange game in it. The forest was the source of the only sweetness of that time - the honey of wild bees. Resinous substances could be collected from trees to make torches. Thanks to hunting, it was possible not only to feed, but also to dress up, the skins of animals were used for sewing clothes and for other household purposes. In the forest, in the glades, it was possible to collect medicinal plants, the only medicinal products of that time. The bark of trees was used to heck out the skins of animals, the ashes of burnt bushes were used to bleach fabrics.

As well as climatic conditions, the landscape determined the main occupation of people: cattle breeding prevailed in the mountainous regions, and agriculture prevailed in the plains.

All the troubles of a medieval man (diseases, bloody wars, famine) led to the fact that the average life expectancy was 22 - 32 years. Only a few survived to the age of 70.

The lifestyle of a medieval man depended largely on his place of residence, but at the same time, people of that time were quite mobile, and, one might say, were constantly on the move. At first, these were the echoes of the great migration of peoples. Subsequently, other reasons pushed people on the road. Peasants moved along the roads of Europe, singly and in groups, looking for a better life; "Knights" - in search of feats and beautiful ladies; monks - going from monastery to monastery; pilgrims and all kinds of beggars and vagabonds.

Only over time, when the peasants acquired certain property, and the feudal lords acquired large lands, then cities began to grow and at that time (approximately the XIV century) Europeans became "couch potatoes".

If we talk about housing, about houses in which medieval people lived, then most of the buildings did not have separate rooms. People slept, ate and cooked in the same room. Only over time, well-to-do townspeople began to separate the bedroom from the kitchens and dining rooms.

Peasant houses were built of wood, in some places stone was preferred. The roofs were thatched or reed. There was very little furniture. Mostly storage chests and tables. Slept on benches or beds. The bed was a hayloft or a mattress stuffed with straw.

Houses were heated with hearths or fireplaces. Furnaces appeared only at the beginning of the XIV century, when they were borrowed from the northern peoples and the Slavs. The dwellings were illuminated with tallow candles and oil lamps. Expensive wax candles could only be purchased by wealthy people.

Food

Most Europeans ate very modestly. They usually ate twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Everyday food was rye bread, cereals, legumes, turnips, cabbage, grain ear with garlic or onions. Little meat was consumed. Moreover, during the year there were 166 days of fasting, when it was forbidden to eat meat dishes. There was much more fish in the diet. Of the sweets, there was only honey. Sugar came to Europe from the East in the 13th century. and was very expensive.
In medieval Europe they drank a lot: in the south - wine, in the north - beer. Herbs were brewed instead of tea.

Most Europeans' dishes are bowls, mugs, etc. were very simple, made of clay or tin. Jewelry made of silver or gold was used only by the nobility. There were no forks, they ate with spoons at the table. Pieces of meat were cut off with a knife and eaten by hand. The peasants ate food from one bowl with the whole family. At feasts, the nobility put one bowl and a goblet for wine on two. They threw the bones under the table and wiped their hands with a tablecloth.

clothing

With regard to clothing, it was largely unified. In contrast to antiquity, the glorification of the beauty of the human body was considered sinful by the church and insisted on being covered with clothes. Only by the XII century. the first signs of fashion began to appear.

The change in dress style reflected the social preferences of the time. The opportunity to follow fashion was mainly enjoyed by representatives of the wealthy strata.
The peasant usually wore a linen shirt and pants up to his knees or even to the ankles. The outer garment was a cloak tied over the shoulders with a fastener (brooch). In winter, they wore either a roughly combed sheepskin coat or a warm cape made of dense fabric or fur. Clothes reflected a person's place in society. The outfit of the wealthy was dominated by bright colors, cotton and silk fabrics. The poor were content with dark clothing made of rough homespun linen. The shoes of men and women were leather pointed-toed shoes without a solid sole. Headdresses appeared in the 13th century. and have changed continuously since then. Familiar gloves gained importance during the Middle Ages. Shaking hands with them was considered an insult, and throwing a glove at someone was a manifestation of contempt and a challenge to a duel.

The nobility loved to add various decorations to her clothes. Men and women wore rings, bracelets, belts, chains. Very often these items were unique jewelry. For the poor, all this was unattainable. Wealthy women spent a lot of money on cosmetics and perfumes, which were brought by merchants from Eastern countries.

Stereotypes

Typically in public consciousness certain ideas about something are rooted. And the idea of ​​the Middle Ages is no exception. This primarily concerns chivalry. Sometimes there is an opinion that the knights were uneducated, stupid dorks. But was it really so? This statement is too categorical. As in any community, representatives of the same class could be completely different people. For example, Charlemagne built schools, knew several languages. Richard the Lionheart, considered a typical representative of chivalry, wrote poetry in two languages. Karl the Bold, who in literature people like to describe as a kind of macho ham, knew Latin perfectly and loved to read ancient authors. Francis I was patronized by Benvenuto Cellini and Leonardo da Vinci. The polygamist Henry VIII knew four languages, played the lute and loved the theater. Should the list go on? They were all sovereigns, models for their subjects. They were guided by, they were imitated, and those who could knock the enemy off their horse and write an ode to the Beautiful Lady enjoyed respect.

Regarding the same ladies, or wives. There is an opinion that women were treated like property. And again, it all depends on what kind of husband was. For example, Senor Etienne II de Blois was married to a certain Adele of Norman, daughter of William the Conqueror. Etienne, as it should be then for a Christian, went on the crusades, and his wife remained at home. It would seem that there is nothing special in all this, but Etienne's letters to Adele have survived to our time. Gentle, passionate, yearning. This is evidence and an indication of how a medieval knight could relate to his own wife. You can also remember Edward I, who was killed by the death of his beloved wife. Or, for example, Louis XII, who after the wedding turned from the first lecher in France into a faithful husband.

Speaking about the cleanliness and level of pollution of medieval cities, they also often go too far. To the extent that it is argued that the waste of human activity in London merged into the Thames, as a result of which it was a continuous stream of sewage. Firstly, the Thames is not the smallest river, and secondly, in medieval London the number of inhabitants was about 50 thousand. So they simply could not dirtied the river in this way.

The hygiene of medieval man was not as terrible as we think. They love to cite as an example the princess Isabella of Castile, who made a vow not to change underwear until the victory was won. And poor Isabella kept her word for three years. But this act of hers caused a great resonance in Europe, in honor of her a new color was even invented. But if you look at the statistics of soap production in the Middle Ages, you can understand that the statement that people did not wash for years is far from the truth. Otherwise, why would such an amount of soap be needed?

In the Middle Ages, there was no such need for frequent washing as in modern world - environment was not as catastrophically polluted as it is now ... There was no industry, food was without chemicals. Therefore, with human sweat, water, salts were released, and not all those chemicals that are full in the body of a modern person.

Another stereotype, entrenched in the public consciousness, that everyone smelled terribly. Russian ambassadors at the French court complained in letters that the French were "terribly stinking." From which it was concluded that the French did not wash, smelled and tried to drown out the smell with perfume. They really used perfume. But this is explained by the fact that in Russia it was not customary to stifle too much, while the French were simply drenched in perfume. Therefore, for a Russian person, a Frenchman who smelled profusely of perfume was "stinking like a wild beast."

In conclusion, we can say that the real Middle Ages were very different from the fabulous world of knightly novels. But at the same time, some facts are largely distorted and exaggerated. It seems that the truth is, as always, somewhere in between. As always, people were different and they lived in different ways. Some things, in comparison with modern ones, really seem wild, but all this happened centuries ago, when the customs were different and the level of development of that society could not afford more. Someday, for the historians of the future, we will find ourselves in the role of a "medieval man".

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SEXUAL LIFE OF MAN IN THE MIDDLE AGES
(superficial judgments that do not claim to be fundamental)

It's him!
- Who is he?
- Boy!
“You didn't say anything about the boy!
- Because I didn't want to discuss it!
From america. thin the series "Califrenia"

Each of us - you, you, you, you and me -
have their own personal life, which does not concern anyone -
neither you, nor you, nor you, nor you, and me too ...
Sergei SOLOVYOV, filmmaker (from TV interview)

The world of medieval men and women was filled with strong and powerful passions.
In the medieval world, women were adored.
“I love you more than anyone! You are the only one - my love and my desire! "
But they also aroused hatred and disgust.
“A woman is just a bait of Satan, a poison for male souls,” wrote St. Augustine.
It was a world in which knowledge of medicine, physiology and living hygiene was still insufficient.
"One kind of menstruating woman can in itself cause illness in a healthy man."
It was a world where bishops grow rich in prostitution, and virgins "marry" Christ.
"Since I was standing next to the crucifix, I was overwhelmed with such fire that I took off all my clothes and offered Him all of myself."
A world in which priests accuse their flock of extramarital affairs and other sexual sins.
"There is so much debauchery and adultery on all sides that only a few men are satisfied with their own wives" (1).
It was a time when in the homes of the church fathers and even in the palace of the Pope, everyone en masse engaged in a variety of sex, not disdaining intercourse with boys and young men, which was especially developed in monasteries.
"... the houses of the church fathers are being turned into refuge for harlots and sodomites."
It was a world in which God, according to the ministers of the church, promises to destroy all mankind because of sinful aspirations. (As if one of them communicated with him or knows how to read his mind.)
“We must be afraid of human sensuality, whose fire flared up as a result of original sin, which established even greater depths of evil, producing various sins that caused divine wrath and his revenge” (2).

... "Sex really began in 1963." So, at least, the poet Philippe Larkey wrote. But this is not true. Sexual activity in the Middle Ages was as energetic and diverse as it is today. How diverse it was can be understood from the questions that medieval priests were obliged to ask their parishioners:
“Have you committed adultery with a nun?”;
“Committed adultery with your stepmother, daughter-in-law, your son’s bride, mother?”;
"Have you made a penis-shaped instrument or device and then tied it to your genitals and committed adultery with other women?"
“Have you inserted a device in the form of a penis into your mouth or anus, moving this instrument of the devil there and receiving obscene male pleasure?”;
“Have you used the mouth and buttocks of your son, brother, father, boy-servant for Sodom pleasure?”;
“Have you done what some women do, who lie down in front of an animal and induce it to copulate in any way possible. Did you copulate in the same way as they did? "
This interest suggests that sexual activity in the Middle Ages was no different from the sexual desires of today's people! But the world in which all this happened was completely different! Knowledge about birth and hygiene, about life and death, physiology and human sexual desires was very different from today.
Considering that today people in all countries live to be 75-80 years old, in the Middle Ages people barely reached the age of 40. Everyone faced death on their own experience. Most people have seen a brother or sister die. Most parents have lost one child or more. In a medieval village of 100 houses, a funeral could take place every eight days. Malnutrition, infection, disease, epidemics and war have contributed to this.
Life in the Middle Ages was dangerous. Easy to imagine medieval life nasty, cruel and short. At least, it was considered so until recently: "At the heart of the early deaths of those years - the struggle for survival, lack of pleasure, passions and the suppression of their sexuality." But was it really so? Far from it! Medieval records suggest the raging passions in different parts of society, about the deep world of intimacy and sensuality, about close attention to love, sex and various pleasures. And some exotic ways to enhance them.
Many couples wanted to have fun, but in such a way that the woman didn’t get too hot. But the easiest way to avoid fertilization was considered to be to cool the fire of desire. True, in this case, pleasure could not be obtained. To extinguish the fire of his passion, The Guide to the Secrets of Women recommended drinking a man's urine. According to the authors of such nonsense, it should have certainly worked! There were other ways to avoid unwanted pregnancies. The monks, for example, recommended eating sage for this, which they cooked for three days. After that, supposedly, pregnancy does not occur. whole year! There were also more radical advice: if a woman swallows a bee, she will never get pregnant, and a man who will plant it deeply will feel pain and, probably, he will not want to ejaculate into her!
Since the church only allowed sex for procreation, it strongly rejected the use of contraception. The jurist Burchard, Bishop of Worms, even introduced penance (punishment) for a period of ten years for preventing pregnancy. However, despite all these prohibitions, in practice, various contraceptives have been used, known since ancient times: herbal tinctures, special exercises after intercourse, creams for the genitals, vaginal suppositories and much more. Interrupted intercourse was also practiced, perhaps the most effective method of contraception at that time. Abortion was resorted to in extreme cases and basically did without surgery: heavy physical exertion, hot baths, tinctures and other drugs that cause miscarriage. Contraception researcher John Noonan noticed a very curious thing: if in early middle ages Much attention as a means of contraception was paid to sexual postures, conspiracies and magic amulets, then in the high and late Middle Ages it was already interrupted sexual intercourse and the ejaculation of a man on a woman's stomach or on a bed.
Obviously, the medieval understanding of sexual relations was primitive. The anatomy was undeveloped and autopsy was rarely performed. (Which, by the way, was actively opposed by the church. It was the lack of knowledge in the field of medicine that gave rise to the most dangerous epidemics in places of population - primarily in cities.) But this did not stop some of the greatest minds from revealing the secrets of sex. In centers for the study of sciences throughout medieval Europe, scholars pondered topical issues.
What is the difference between men and women?
Why do people most often like sex, and are they willing to transgress every conceivable biblical prohibition for sexual pleasure?
What is the nature of sexual satisfaction?
What is attraction? What is its essence? And is the devil guilty of him or is it still a divine gift?
The consensus reached by these male writers, many of whom were clergy, was that the whole problem was a woman. According to classical theory about four liquids, men were meant to be hot and dry. Which was good. The women were cold and damp. Which was bad. This made them sexually insatiable.
“A woman is more eager for copulation than a man, because the dirty is drawn to the good,” wrote St. Augustine.
The real mystery was how the female anatomy works. At Oxford in the 14th century, Dr. John Garsdon expressed the common belief in the Middle Ages that menstrual blood was actually a woman's semen. Unsurprisingly, it was believed that women needed sex in order to get rid of this semen, from the menstrual blood.
“This blood is so disgusting that upon contact with it, fruit stops growing, the wine becomes sour, the trees do not bear fruit, the air darkens and the dogs become wild with rage. One kind of menstruating woman can in itself cause illness in a healthy man. "
In short, all women were poisonous in the literal sense of the word! (And not just some mother-in-law, as they think now!)
Medieval thinking was as logical as ours, but it was based on different assumptions. It often came from religious doctrine or the opinion of ancient authorities. And the biblical story of the Garden of Eden dominated the explanation of the nature of female sexuality.
In the story of original sin, the devil decides to deceive Eve, not Adam! As has been said, attack human nature where it is weaker. There was an act of betrayal in Eve's actions that few churchmen could forgive.
“Eve was a bait for Satan, a poison for male souls,” wrote Cardinal Peter Demien in the 11th century.
And he: “Evil from a woman! Women are the biggest evil in the world! Don't you women understand that Eve is you! You have defiled the tree of knowledge! You disobeyed God's law! You convinced a man where the devil could not triumph by force! The verdict of God handed down to your sex still hangs over the world! You are guilty before men, and you must endure all adversity! You are the devil's gate! "
It is not surprising that with such an attitude towards women, medieval courtship was a rather unromantic activity that few dared to. In general, marriage at that time was different from today's romantic ideal. He had a very distant relationship to love, if at all. This came later.
More often than not, it was an alliance between families and an agreement involving the transfer of some property. The wife was seen as part of this property. Such property had to be thoroughly inspected prior to the conclusion of the transaction. In 1319 Edward II sent the Bishop of Exater to examine Philip Edaena as the prospective wife of his young son. The bishop's report reads like a description of future property:
“The lady has attractive hair - a middle between bluish black and brown. The eyes are deeply dark brown in color. The nose is quite flat and even not turned up. Quite a large mouth. The lips are somewhat plump, especially the lower one. Neck, shoulders, whole body and lower limbs are moderately well formed. All of her limbs are well fitted and undamaged. And on the day of St. John this girl will be nine years old. "
The client accepted the report with satisfaction. An agreement was reached. Nine years later, Philippe married the son of Edward II, who later became Edward III.
And here is how the 13-year-old groom's curiosity about his bride is shown in the French fiction series Borgia:

“- Have you seen my bride, brother?
- Saw.
- Your silence is disturbing, brother! Calm down baby Jofre!
- Be calm, Jofre, she's not horny!
- She's beautiful?
- No.
- She's kind?
- It seems, no!
"Is there anything good in her?"
“She has two legs, a full set of eyes, ten toes!
- So she is not beautiful and not kind ... She has two eyes, ten fingers ...
- I forgot my toes. Also ten, in my opinion!
- I will marry only once, mom!
- Brother Jofre! She's not just beautiful!
- Yes?
- She's beautiful!
- Truth?
- She is an angel who grew up in the land of Naples! And know: if you do not marry, I will marry her myself!
- Truth?
- Yes its true! Do you allow me?
- No, Juan! She is my bride!
- Yes, that's right! Who is our lucky one? .. "

We add that the bride was five years older than her teenage groom. And later brother Juan (this is historical truth) could not resist his lust and right during the wedding celebrations, improving the moment, took the girl out of the hall and took possession of her in an empty room, standing, pressing her against the wall, lowering his pants, lifting her wedding dresses, lifting her legs.
Here is this scene from the movie:

“- Be kind to him! Do you promise?
- Like this?
- He is my younger brother!
- But how, "good"?
<Тут у обоих одновременно наступает бурный оргазм. Оба стонут, извиваются, переживают наслаждения, глубоко дышат...>
- That's it! .. That's it! ..
- So I can! .. Yes! .. Yes! .. "

After that, the bride, well inseminated by her older brother, went to “be kind” with her inexperienced young husband ...
In all marriages, a woman's property and belongings became the property of her spouse. As, however, the woman herself.
The law often allowed husbands to treat their wives as they liked. Therefore, on their wedding night, many young men and young men subtly raped their young wives, reckoning only with their desires and feelings, sincerely believing that they want the same thing and that they will like it. The screams of a young wife deprived of innocence during their wedding night delighted all the guests, the groom's parents and even the bride's parents. And in the morning, the young husband could publicly and in detail savor how, in what position and how many times he possessed his young wife, how pleasant it was for him, how his dearest wife did not want it, in what way, how he forced her to copulate and how it hurt her during defloration.
“It is legal for a man to beat his wife when she does him harm, as long as he does not kill or maim her,” the English law said.
The female part of humanity, called the cause of original sin, which is feared for her sexuality and is taken in exchange for property, livestock or goods, and also at times subjected to violence for their pleasure and satiety, was by no means happy.
During the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, violence against women was a manifestation of the sexuality of young people in Venice as well. Rape was considered a serious crime if it was committed against children, the elderly, or the upper class. Sexual violence perpetrated against women of lower or equal status was not criminalized (as long as the victim remained alive and not injured), and at times was even considered part of the courtship ritual. For example, some Venetian youths proposed to their chosen ones after they had taken possession of them several times, most often with the use of force. With rare exceptions, the rape of a young girl was part of the wedding ritual. When the older generation had already agreed on everything, the parents with their daughter (or son) came to visit the parents of the future groom (bride). The young man and the girl, under some plausible pretext, retired. And while the parents talked to each other about the weather and city news, the guy behind the wall took possession of his young guest, regardless of her wishes. The girls did not pay attention to the screams. The children returned to their parents: he was pleased with the pleasures received and sexual release, she, who knew the male power, inseminated by a young lustful baboon, in tears. The parents of both were satisfied with the past evening, the guy too. And the girl? .. Who asked her about this? After a while, there was a return visit, in which the girl no longer resisted her fiance so much (maman explained everything to her in detail), but the ritual of returning to his parents - happy, and hers - in tears was obligatory. And then, if the key came to the lock, an offer was made. Either another groom or bride was being sought. It is somewhat unclear how the issue of contraception was solved in this case. However, there is evidence that many Venetians were not sure that the firstborn in their family was the offspring of the head of the family.
In general, in Venice, as in other European cities, there was an illegal, but very widespread sexual culture - prostitution, street and domestic rape, coercion of extramarital cohabitation. All this was the result of young people getting married at a later age (3).
From the early Middle Ages, secular authorities and the church believed that it was impossible to rape your bride, if there was an agreement between the parents, or your wife, since she gave voluntary consent to sex when she got married. It was also not considered a crime to rape a prostitute, because she earns with her body. Gang rape was also common in the late Middle Ages. Any woman walking or walking the streets alone in the evening risked being raped by a pack of young scoundrels. The attackers announced their approach by shouting "Whore!" next steps... Often, the screams of the raped women were either ignored or attracted by the fact that the townspeople, even armed and well wielded with a sword, joined the rapists in order to frustrate their pleasure on this wonderful evening, especially if the victim was sexually attractive. A case is described when a very young servant girl, after being raped by three 18-year-old young noblemen, was continued to be taken by force by the guys from the city guards who came running to shout. (Now, if it was a robbery, then they would have intervened and detained the criminals!) It was an exception if one of the passers-by stood up for unfamiliar woman from noble motives. (After all, in his youth, this husband did the same: he caught victims and raped with his friends! Well, let the young people frolic!) Rather, one flock of guys, threatening another gang of youngsters with weapons, beat off the girl in order to become her first. Sometimes, because of this, real fencing battles began on the streets with injuries and deaths of young people on both sides. During these fights, they sometimes forgot about the girls (it was necessary to keep an eye on the enemy so as not to miss a dangerous thrust or sword strike!) And thus managed to slip away. Then it turned out like this: after a tense battle, the rivals retreated, there are wounded or even killed, and the prize with pretty eyes, a gutted ass and other fresh appetizing forms, for the possession of which a quarrel began, disappeared! But this was a rare stroke of luck for the girls: the victim during the skirmishes was always carefully guarded by the younger members of the gang. I must say that sometimes fights before the rape of girls were provoked by older guys on purpose, because to get sexual release after a tough battle with strong adversary was an exotic way to enhance the pleasure of copulation. For this, they did not even reckon with the possibility of the death of friends. Therefore, from adolescence, young men constantly studied, and then improved their art of using a sword. It was not only prestigious, at that time the life of these ignoramuses, and the number of girls whom they could beat off from rivals, and then en masse to seize those who were considered whores, depended on the reaction and the ability to fence. To master here, right on the street ...
We returned home in the morning. The servant helped to undress, put the young master to bed. (It was not customary to wash, take care of yourself.) And, the young man, remembering what had happened during the evening (those fights in which he participated, and those girls whom he had fucked), falling asleep, thought: yes, the day was not in vain! ..
French researcher Jacques Rossiod believes that young people deliberately sought to "spoil" as many girls as possible, thus expressing dissatisfaction with public order. I suppose this is the primitive thinking of a person who has apparently read Marxist literature, after which public protests are seen everywhere, even in obvious criminality (in modern times). How does this researcher imagine this? Probably so:
- Hey, guys, let's express our protest with this girl with the existing order in our glorious Venice! Well, drag her here! ..
- Yes, you quieter, you fool, do not get out of the cable! We will only express a protest and let you go! .. Now, I am already lowering my pants for protest! .. There are only ten of us protesters! ..
- Spread your legs! .. You see how already from the desire to protest I am bursting with everything! .. Spread your legs, whoever they say! It will be worse! ..
- Oh, how well my protest went! .. Who is the next to protest? ..
- Oh, homies, how great we protested today! Wonderful night! Let Venice know: we are against! ..
No! Young people (most often with peer servants who were responsible for their master to his parents, and sometimes took part in the rape of victims after the masters) willingly joined gangs, usually consisting of five to six (maximum 15) people aged 18 to 20 years with the aim of having fun and raping a group of girls and pretty women. Apparently, they were attracted not only by the opportunity to assert themselves, to receive sensations unknown in adolescence, to “become an adult”, but also to see the nakedness of a woman's body, which is not available in everyday life (how, to the horror of the crazy hypocrites, do not think about the beneficial effects of pornography! ), notice fear in the eyes of your future victim. In addition, some were attracted by the opportunity to gain experience, to watch from the sidelines their half-naked friends during sexual intercourse (after all, there was no photo or video porn then!), And some were excited by the fact that they were watching him during intercourse ...
Here is what one of the Venetian rakes wrote to his close friend:
“... In the evening you were not with us again! It’s a pity that your father didn’t let you go. You lost a lot yesterday. The two girls we made whores got to know us. One cried, tried to pay off, offering us<свой>wallet<с деньгами>... We desired (i.e. took by force) only her honor, not only, as usual, but also in a way condemned<церковью>(4). Blood and tears from both<было>a lot of.<...>
You said that you admire (in the sense: excites) when you see how guys play (i.e. enjoy) with a girl. I also admire it (in the sense: turns on). What you! Especially when I know that<во время моего сношения>you watch me. At such moments I always want you to be with us (that is, next to). Feelings from it<когда ты за мной наблюдаешь во время моего полового акта>are Arkhangelsk (5).<...>
Are you coming today? Make your father let you go! Do you want my father to talk to your (6)? After all, our walks are nothing but sleepless night are not worth it. And now there is a girl next to her husband or in her father's house, whom we will make a city whore today. Cinus!<...>I'm already burning with desire! Would rather night! .. "(7)
At the head of such gangs was a slightly older leader. The appearance of such flocks in the late Middle Ages testified to a significant decrease in the influence of the church, since the members of the gangs themselves often called themselves "monastic brotherhood", and their leader was called "prince", "king" or even "abbot". Young men left such groups on the day of their marriage. But there have been exceptions. In particular, if a young man occupied one of the main positions, he could afford to be in a gang until the age of 30, especially if the guy was one of those who liked to watch others' sexual intercourse from the sidelines, or for someone to watch, how he does it - both are inaccessible in the matrimonial bedroom. It was such men who, having become older, equipped their sleeping rooms with mirrors (which at that time were inexpressibly expensive), which could somehow give an opportunity to "look" the sexual intercourse from the side or imagine that someone was watching you. For the same purpose, young servants were called into the bedroom, in the presence of whom they had sex with spouses, maids or mistresses (hence the expression "hold a candle", that is, to see copulation). Presumably, the young guys-servants did not experience any particular disgust at the same time - after all, young people have always been interested in sex, and not only in our time, as some illiterate prudes believe. In addition, the walls of the premises were equipped with secret eyes, which made it possible to spy on the intimacy of young servants, and sometimes eminent guests.
In addition to men, the gang sometimes included girls who lured simple-minded victims to secluded corners, or were "on the sidelines" during ritual rape by defloration of innocent girls. They enjoyed immunity as long as they acted as the future wives of the gang members.
The groups acted openly, the local authorities were well aware of what was happening in the cities, because often the sons of these very officials and nobility were members of gangs. The secular authorities and the church not only did not pay any attention to gang rapes, but, on the contrary, were interested in them. Sexual violence on the streets of the city acted as a kind of restraining force for obstinate young ladies and overly active prostitutes, and also gave sexual and emotional outlet to guys. As victims, rapists chose mainly the wives and daughters of handymen, prostitutes, mistresses of priests, divorced women, or simply servants. Therefore, fathers protected their daughters, and husbands protected their wives. But the girls themselves were very careful: alone they appeared on the street only during the day, and in the evening - only accompanied by someone, as a rule, armed and able to wield a sword or other melee weapon. If the girl was provocatively dressed and went out into the street without a guide, then in the event of her being raped, only she was to blame. Therefore, many young women dressed very chastely and led mainly a domestic lifestyle.
Only in very rare cases were rapists punished, most often if a woman was seriously injured or died. Injuries from multiple sexual intercourse with several males in a row were not considered as evidence of damage to the health of a woman. In the late Middle Ages, in only 14 percent of cases of sexual violence, the perpetrators were punished with two years in prison or in the form of severe flogging. In most cases brought to trial, the penalty was either fines or a short prison sentence. The most severe punishments were received by offenders who infringed upon the honor of the wives and daughters of the upper class and high-ranking officials. But this was also a great rarity, for such ladies did not appear on the city streets late at night without armed guards.
And suddenly, in a society that placed women so low, there was a revolution that turned everything inside out. It began in southern France in the 12th century. Troubadours, wandering poets and musicians began to speak completely differently about women and about love. They sang about deep, idealized sexual passion. Their poems reached the ears of one of the most influential women of that time, the daughter of King Louis VII of France, Marie de Champagne. Marie's courtyard was a haven for singers, writers and poets. He soon became famous for the exciting ideas of the troubadours.
>> “When I go to bed, all night and the next day
I keep thinking: how can I serve your grace.
My body is overjoyed and full of joy because I think of you!
My heart belongs to you! .. "
The poets put the woman on a pedestal. She was worshiped as a distant and inaccessible object. They were her suffering lovers.
>> “I lost my will and ceased to be myself
From the moment you let me look into your eyes! "
This is how the idea of ​​falling in love was born.
Of course, people talked about love before that time. But it was more lustful love. The poetry that captured the imagination of the ladies of the court such as Marie de Champagne was something special. It was an idealized form of sexual passion, and sex was, as it were, a reward for passionate desires and worship of the object of its adoration. Sometimes this love is called courtly or court love. Her fervent ideas spread from court to court throughout Europe. And new generations of writers and poets began to sing new views of love.
One of the most famous is Etienne de Trois, the author of a story about passion and marital infidelity. His famous love story of Lancelot and Jeniver, a great knight at the court of King Arthur and the Queen, is punctuated by thrilling experiences of true love. For his wealthy patron and ladies of the court, this was the standard by which to measure the behavior of men and get an idea of ​​their own sexual significance. For courtly lovers, such feelings were exquisite love.
“If she does not heal my suffering with a kiss, she will kill me and curse herself! Despite all the suffering, I do not give up sweet love! "
Lancelot tries to win the Queen's love, he exposes himself to indescribable dangers, including overcoming a bridge made of a sword blade. Genevier ends up giving in and making a midnight date:
"Today, when everyone is asleep, you can come and talk to me at that window!"
It seems to Lancelot that the day drags on like a century. As night falls, the queen appears in a purple cloak and furs. But iron bars separate them. Lancelot grabbed the bars, tensed, and tore them out. Finally, there are all the possibilities for adultery. Now Lancelot had everything he wanted: he held his beloved in his arms. He held her in his arms. Their touches were so tender, sweet that through kisses and hugs they experienced such joy and surprise, which they had never known.
The influence of this brave, new literature was dramatic. Refined love, unrequited love, mutual love, tragic love, adultery. For the first time, noble ladies were exposed to passionate love literature with sophisticated love fantasies about a devoted noble lover who needed not so much of them naked bodies and the ability to copulate with them, and their appearance, their voice, their feelings, and most importantly - their love.
New poets questioned old dogmas. Can love exist in marriage? Or should she be free? Does love survive by becoming public? Is it true that new love puts the old woman to flight or is it possible to love two women?
"The one who is tormented by thoughts of love, whether for a man or a woman, sleeps and eats little." These words belong to chaplain Andrew, about whom it is only known that he was at the court of the aforementioned Marie de Champagne. His treatise "On Love" was similar to modern self-instruction manuals of seducing ladies and love relationship... Writers like Chaplain Andrew were themselves pioneers of love, paving the way in this new, bold, emotional world... Most surprisingly, such writers were able to move away from the far unromantic relationship that existed between medieval men and women.
Why is the cult of exquisite love so popular? Was it a valve for releasing emotional pressure and sexual energy? Was this all a natural development of religious love in which the aristocracy honed their sexual manners? Nobody can say for sure! But the basic ideas of this love were assimilated by a wide medieval culture... And they caused scandals, even violence. It was one thing to discuss the codes of love in aristocratic circles, and another to live by them!
One of the most remarkable medieval stories is the passionate, dramatic, and seemingly true story of the love of Adeleard and Aloise.
The young scientist Peter Adelyard came to Paris in 1100, when refined love had already swept Europe. In Paris, he met a young and beautiful Aloise. She lived with her uncle, a former canon, in Notre Dame Cathedral.
“I am burning with the fire of desires for this girl. And I decided: she will be the only one in my bed! ”- wrote Peter Adelyard.
Peter Adelyard became a home teacher, a mentor to a very young girl Aloise.
“If the uncle of my passion had entrusted the lamb to the predatory wolf, it would have surprised me less! Our books lay between us, but we had more words of love than reading. We've had more kisses than teachings. My hands touched her breasts and her peach under her dresses more often than the pages. Our desires have not left untested any position and degree of love. I taught her to give herself to a man the way we both wanted. And not a single maiden cavity remained not devoid of innocence ... "
Soon, from this unbridled passion of a young insatiable teacher, the girl became pregnant. The uncle of the young mentor was angry! And Abeler made an offer to his beloved. However, for a long time she did not agree to marry her seducer. Aloise had her own rather unconventional ideas. According to her, only free-given love had a meaning and a right to exist, and not what she called "the chains of marriage." And Peter also wrote:
"The name of a wife seems to many more sacred and valuable, but for me the word mistress, or concubine, or harlot will always be sweeter."
Aloise used the thoughts of writers and troubadours about exquisite love, which said that true love can only exist outside of marriage. Such attitudes were contrary to the conditions that bound medieval society. In the end, her loved ones insisted and Aloise agreed to a secret marriage. Peter Adelyard married his beauty. But a little later, the young woman suddenly retired to a convent. Her uncle and relatives suspected that Peter had deceived them, evaded marriage, making her a nun. Their revenge was swift and brutal.
“One night I was sleeping peacefully in the back room of my dwelling. They bribed one of my servants to let them in. And they took revenge on me in such a terrible barbaric way that it shocked the whole world. They cut off a part of my body through which I did the injustice they complained about. "
After that, Adelyard retired to a monastery forever, and Aloise actually became a nun. Their correspondence gives us the opportunity to look from the inside at medieval heart affairs.
Years later, Aloise, having already become an abbess, in her letter to Adeleard said that she still has a strong sexual attraction to her castrated husband:
“The pleasure we shared then was too sweet. It is unlikely that he can be expelled from my thoughts, awakening longing and fantasies. Even during Mass, obscene visions of those pleasures overwhelm my unfortunate soul. And all my thoughts are in debauchery, not in prayers. "
Ideas that started with the troubadours have transformed our culture. The language of romance, sexual longing, unrequited love and unbridled desires was born. The principles created in the Middle Ages persist to this day.
However, for the medieval church, nothing could be more offensive than the idea of ​​human sexual pleasure. In the 13th century in England there were about 40 thousand clergy, 17 thousand monks, 10 thousand parish priests, and they were supposed to interfere in the sexual life of believers. Of course, the church's views on the carnal pleasures of the flock (and not their own) were significantly different from the views of the troubadours.
“The filthy embrace of the flesh gives off fumes and pollutes anyone who sticks to it. And no one will run away unscathed from the bite of pleasure. "
The church fathers worked tirelessly to turn their flock away from the sensual pleasures they officially deny.
“This is a sinful act, a heinous act, bestial copulation, a shameless union. This is a dirty, stinking, dissolute business! "
One author in the 12th century had a helpful hint on how to manage lustful desires for a woman:
“Try to imagine how her body looks inside. Think about what is under the skin inside the body! What could be more disgusting to look at, more disgusting to touch, more fetid for a sigh. And if that wasn't enough, try to imagine her dead body! What could be more terrible than a corpse, and what in the world could be more disgusting for her beloved, quite recently still full of wild desire for this fetid flesh. "
In the medieval world, people were in the middle between animals and angels. Unfortunately for the priests, the animal has always been victorious in sex.
Then the church put forward its alternative to the immorality of sex.
“Virginity is the highest dignity, splendid beauty, source of life, incomparable song, crown of faith, support for hope. A mirror of purity, closeness to angels, food and support for the most enduring love. "
In monasteries, virginity was a treasure that would be dedicated only to the divine bridegroom. Here the young woman became the "bride of Christ." The virginity of these young ladies was a treasure to be dedicated to Jesus. It is often said in medieval texts that there is still something sensual about a woman's passionate devotion to Christ. Jacques Demitre in 1220 describes several nuns who were so weak from the ecstasy of love for the son of God that they were already forced to take a break from reading the Bible. They melted with an amazing love of God until they bent under the burden of desire. For many years they did not get out of bed.
“Oh, noble eagles and tender lamb! O burning flame, embrace me! How long will I stay withered? One hour is too hard for me! One day is like a thousand years! "
At times, the distinction between sensual and spiritual love dissipates completely.
A certain Angela from Folinia took the idea of ​​being "the bride of Christ" quite literally:
“I stood before the crucifix and was filled with such fire that I took off all my clothes and offered Him all of me. I promised Him, although I was scared, to always maintain my chastity and not offend him with any of my members. My feeling is clearer than glass, whiter than snow, brighter than the sun ... "

Cutting your hair is a symbol that you renounce your earthly beauty ... And now you devote yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ ... You will become Christ's bride, Christ's servant ... Christ will be your love, your bread, wine, your water. ..
(From the French film series "Borgia")

The cult of virginity dominated the minds of many women, sometimes giving birth to genuine tragedies.
Take the story of the Christening from Markeit. She was from a prosperous English family. A guy from her entourage, Veprod, wooed her and got the approval of her parents. But Christina agreed on one condition: she will remain a virgin for life. She had already sworn to this. Parents laughed at her, did not allow her to often go to church, attend parties with friends and give her love potions. Finally, they agreed with Veprod that he would be allowed into the house at night. But Christina did not allow the guy to talk about love and take her to bed, but began to tell exemplary stories of chaste marriages. She promised in case of marriage to live with him so “so that other townspeople do not scoff at you that I refused you.” But, nevertheless, she must remain a virgin.
These didactic conversations were, apparently, so boring that the guy lost his desire. Veprod was left without sex this time.
Friends laughed at him and teased him. Therefore, he made another attempt to enter the house and take possession of it in order to deprive his love of these absurd ideas once and for all. Burning with lust, not without the help of the girl's relatives, the guy burst into the bedroom to rape his future wife. But she somehow miraculously disappeared from him in the depths of the house.
Christina's stubbornness and stupidity infuriated her parents. Her father threatened to kick her out of the house, and her mother grabbed the girl by the hair and beat her. Only the visions of the Virgin Mary supported her in her trials. To avoid the family's anger and sexual intercourse with her fiancé, Christina ran away from home and became a hermit. Two years later, Veprod gave up and released her from her marriage obligations, and soon married another girl who was not so absurd.
Christina and the cult of virginity emerged victorious from this bitter family conflict. This girl founded a convent, where she received equally absurd fools and died a virgin, betrayed in her "marriage" to Christ. (Lord, there are such stuffed fools!)
Most, of course, would rather marry a man or woman of flesh and blood than a mythical god, even the most beautiful one. People wanted marriage, sexual intercourse, pleasure from it, and children. But the bedroom and sex were those territories that the church stubbornly wanted to subjugate and completely control. However, marriages in the early Middle Ages had little to do with the church. They were entered very informally.
Here is a description of a peasant wedding given by a witness in the Jötte trial:
“At three o'clock after nine, John Big Shorny, sitting on a bench, called Margeret to him and said to her:“ Will you be my wife? ” And she replied: "- Yes, I will, if you want!" And taking right hand mentioned by Margeret, John said: “- Margeret, I marry you! Both in joy and in sorrow I will be with you until the end of my days! "
This mundane approach terrified the church authorities. In 1218, clarifications were made to the charter of the Diocese of Salisbury. It was legalized that marriages should be celebrated with reverence and honor, and not with laughter and jokes in a tavern or at public drinking. No one has the right to put on a finger ring made of cane or other material, cheap or precious on a girl's hand, in order to freely commit adultery with her, because he can then say that he was joking, although in fact he tied himself to marital duties. " ...
"Marriage," the church argued, "is not a contract, but a religious event."
Over time, it was declared a sacrament, like baptism or confession.
As far as sex is concerned, for the church, marriage was no excuse for unrestrained lovemaking. What Saint Augustine said became a proverb: "Passionate love for one's own wife is adultery!" The only legitimate reason for intercourse was reproduction. And it was a serious responsibility. And no pleasure and no thoughts about him!
Only the church, through its religious courts, dealt with what should or should not happen in the marriage bed.
John, a man from York, was accused by his wife of impotence. Various efforts have been made to awaken him. This procedure was documented in court records:
“The witness exposed her bare breasts, and with her hands warmed by the fire, she held and rubbed John's naked cock and testicles, hugging and kissing them often. She aroused him before the court to show courage and potency, convincing him to prove them to the judges and take her right here on the table in the courtroom. She pointed out to the court that all this time his penis remained barely 7 centimeters long, without any signs of enlargement and hardness ... "(6)
In 1215 in Rome, Pope Innocent III sharply intervened in the sexual affairs of believers. He issued a bull, according to which all Christians had to confess their sins and sinful thoughts at least once a year. This decision was supposed to help the clergy to root out debauchery. To help priests accept confession, decide what questions to ask, appreciate the seriousness of the sins they hear about, and understand what to do with them, encyclopedias known as confessors' manuals were widely distributed. The biggest chapter on sins in this guide was, of course, sex. The main thought for confessors: sexual relations can only be in marriage and only for the birth of heirs. Any other form of sexual activity, including sex for pleasure, not for conception, sex by rubbing the penis against the chest, buttocks, between the wife's legs without introducing it inside the woman, and even more self-gratification, ejaculation outside the woman's body were considered a sin.
But even in marriage, sex was a tricky issue. To avoid sinning, the church had a checklist that a husband should read before he can fuck his wife:
"Is your wife her period?"
"Is your wife pregnant?"
"Is your wife breastfeeding her baby?"
"Now great post?»
"Is Christ's Second Coming Now?"
"Today is Sunday?"
"Is it a week after Trinity?"
"Easter week?"
"Is today Wednesday or Friday?"
“Today is a fast day? Holiday?"
"Are you naked?"
"Are you in church?"
"Did you wake up this morning with a numb penis?"
If you answered “no” to all these questions, then the church, so be it, on that day allowed married couples to have sex once a week and never again! But only in a missionary position, in the dark, with closed eyes, without groans, even if you want to scream with pleasure and not show your other half that you were pleased! Otherwise, God's disgrace and hell await you! After all, He is the all-seeing eye, watching over all of us, and even, such a bastard, will not turn away when you are enjoying with your beloved wife (option: with your beloved husband)! And, God forbid, not in the position that He prescribed to us through his prophets or did it wrong and not what He likes in the sexual acts of people! Fuck you! In the next world he will definitely punish!
Thus, the church regulated when, where, with whom, and in what way one can have sex. Those who violated these rules even in their thoughts were to be punished. Punishment or penance included a complex system of fasting and abstinence separately for each sin:
For adultery, even in thoughts - penance for two years!
For treason twice - five years!
For sex with an animal - seven years!
There were also special questions for women:
"Have you used your husband's semen to ignite your passion?" - five years!
"Did you secretly add your menstrual blood to your husband's food to get him excited?" - ten years!
"Would you like your husband to bite or kiss your chest?" - five years!
"Did you want your husband to kiss or lick between your legs?" - seven years!
"Would you like to take your husband's penis into the mouth?" - six years!
"Did you want to swallow your husband's seed?" - seven years!
“Have you seen your husband ejaculate? - two years!
"Have you surrendered to your husband, throwing your legs on his shoulders?" - one year!
"The same, in a position sitting on his lap?" - two years!
"The same if you are on top of a man?" - three years!
"Did you allow yourself to be mastered in a doggy position, on all fours?" - four years!
"Did you have a desire to surrender to your husband in the anus?" - nine years.
The process of confessions and penances regulated every aspect of the believers' sex life and systematized a sliding scale of punishments. And for those who decided to disregard the rules, there was a completely different level of investigation and retaliation.
Aside from the secret of confession, there was a religious judgment, one where the sins of the believers were to be exposed and publicly condemned. By the creation of religious courts, the church's control over people's behavior, including in bed, was significantly expanded. Confession was common. It was completely different! Due to a misunderstood phrase said in a tavern, anyone could be summoned to court on suspicion of his behavior and the assumption that in bed, even with his wife, he does something that is not approved by the church. The minds of the church authorities were occupied with intimate relationships, and even with the sinful thoughts of man. Judges could impose severe penalties, excommunication, fines, public penances and executions at the stake, by hanging or drowning.
Here are the entries from books with accounts of court cases that were heard by the ecclesiastical judicial authorities in the dioceses of some English cities in the 14th century:
“John Warren was accused of extramarital affairs with Helen Lanson. Both appeared and confessed to sin, and vowed not to sin again on pain of a fine of 40 pence. It was ordered to whip both of them publicly three times near the church. "
“Thomas Thornton, priest, it is assumed that he had an extramarital affair with Aless, the daughter of Robert Masner. As a punishment for seducing a church minister, she was sentenced to 12 blows in the market square and 12 blows near the church, naked, wearing only one shirt. " (The "seduced" minister of the church, presumably, got off with a slight fright.)
“Teenage Michael Smith, 13 years old, was convicted of sinful thoughts while singing in a church choir, because during the service his pants bulged when he saw the priest leaning over the fallen gospel, turned his back to him. Sentenced to 10 lashes with a whip near the church. " (Apparently, the priest, who dropped the book, without suspecting it himself, gave that pose that the teenager focused his attention on it!)
“Edwin Kerncross, a 14-year-old teenager, was caught masturbating with his pants down, lying on his side, index finger into your anus and lowering your sinful seed in front of you on the straw. Sentenced to 14 lashes of a whip in the marketplace. "
“Alain Solistell, 15 years old, the son of a fishmonger, has repeatedly allowed his dog to lick his penis, testicles and anus, admitted that several times he received sinful pleasure from this, while lowering his semen on his stomach or on his dog's tongue. Sentenced to 18 lashes with a whip outside the church. They decided to hang the dog. Alain Solistell cried, asked to spare the animal, showed that it was his fault, having taught the dog to sin. He asked the court to increase his punishment to 40 strokes, just to save the life of the dog. The court remained adamant. "
“Beatrice, daughter of William Deetis, is pregnant, no one knows by whom. Showed up in the conference room and confessed to sin. Was pardoned. Swore not to sin anymore. Sentenced to 6 blows outside the church on Sunday and holidays in front of the whole procession ”(8).
The religious authorities relied heavily on fear and shame to maintain order among the parishioners and keep them within the limits of their sexual relations. Church apparatus across the country have been recruited to have access to the sexual activity of believers! For the church, sexual purity was the ideal. But physiologically to anyone healthy person it was difficult to live up to the ideal, including for priests and members of religious tribunals.
Take, for example, a book rewritten by the monks of the Abbey of St. Augustine in Canterbury around 1200. The first half of the book is harmless and rather boring. This is the story of the English bishops. But at the end there is a series of pornographic plots written by the monks with great sexual detail and, obviously, giving them pleasure. One of them concerns the story of a husband and wife who embarked on a pilgrimage to the "holy land." One night, they took refuge in the depths of the cave. But here nine Saracens enter the cave (9). They light torches, undress and wash themselves, helping each other. They are excited by touch.
When a woman saw the powerful genitals of young guys, reared members, she was so excited that she immediately forced her husband to make love to her many times. (Presumably, the Saracens do not hear anything and do not notice anything!) For the fourth time, the hubby could no longer and fell asleep. Then the woman offered herself to the Saracens. All nine ...
This is followed by quite detailed description group sex with her young lustful males. Nine guys had it in different poses and in all cavities, alternately changing each other, or even two at a time. (It was her husband's turn to pretend that he was asleep.) But the Saracens were simply worn out by this lustful female during the night.
In the morning, all of them sleepy (except for the husband), but satisfied (including the husband), parted, saying goodbye warmly. However, having visited the "holy land" and bowed to the "holy places", this lady was cleansed of the "filth" and sinful thoughts, became a respectable parishioner, did not allow any further intimacy, even with her husband ... (If this is so, it remains only to sympathize with her husband. Although, however ... I wonder if there is at least one person who will believe in such a absurd religious end One might think that from a pilgrimage to the “holy land”, the physiology of a woman has somehow miraculously changed (in the direction the bigots need from religion)! .. But, most likely, without such an artificially created ending, this plot could not be included in such collection.)
The priests were supposed to be single, it was in the late Middle Ages that the church authorities decided that they could no longer marry. However, you can attach a dignity, but where to put your physiology? Therefore, most of them bypassed these prohibitions, living in their youth with mistresses, wives of other men, or finding joys with boys and youth servants, skillfully corrupting them. Even then, the people perfectly understood that priests are endowed with the same human and sexual desires as everyone else. Therefore, he willingly laughed at the servants of God, who took a vow of celibacy. The clergy were the targets of satirical pamphlets and poems:
>> “What are priests doing without their own wives?
They are forced to look for others.
They have no fear, they have no shame,
When married women are taken to their bed
Or handsome boys ... "
The medieval clergy had other ways to satisfy their sexual desires, using ways even older than the church itself. Records from a Dijon brothel in France indicate that at least 20% of the clientele were churchmen. Elderly monks, itinerant monks, canons, parish priests - they all visited prostitutes in the city baths. Therefore, sexually transmitted diseases spread very quickly.
Medieval brothels could provide churchmen, in addition to sexual satisfaction, also a good income. The Bishop of Wenchester was regularly paid from brothels in the red light district of Salsford. That is why the prostitutes from there were called "Venchester geese."
But what is due to Jupiter is not due to a bull. The behavior of the clergy and their participation in depraved sex did not prevent the churchmen from punishing their flock for most types of sexual activity of believers.
However, there was one kind of sex that the church among other people condemned especially severely ... The sin of sodomy! It turns out that medieval churchmen were pretty well versed in male homosexuality! And then there was someone to punish! It was a time when thousands of men lived together in communities and rarely saw women.
“My eyes are eager to see your face, the most beloved! My arms reach out to your embrace! My lips long for your kisses! So that I do not remain in the world of desires, your society will make my soul of the future full of joy ”.
Such words sound erotic even to modern heterosexually oriented readers, if you imagine that they were written by a lady. But such a language was quite common among young men of that time and was of a pronounced homosexual coloration. And the above lines are addressed specifically to a young man, as the story tells, a young man of rare physical beauty.
What lustful rabbit wrote them? A depraved aristocrat? An unbridled citizen? A peasant not afraid of God? No. These lines were written by the most zealous campaigner against homosexuality, Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. According to Anselm, "this deadly vice has spread throughout England." The bishop warned that the fate of the lustful inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah awaits the islanders, if they are subject to this sin. However, the punishment for the sin of Sodom awaits someone else, the bishop himself does not shy away from such relationships, obviously believing that closeness to God will protect him from divine punishments.
Fearing divine retribution, medieval society imposed dire punishments for any kind of sexual behavior that was considered unnatural. In Portugal and Castilla, the punishment was castration; in Sieny, it was hanging for a male member. In 1288, in Polonye, ​​homosexual contacts were punished with death by burning at the stake. But for some reason, always, at all times, there was some kind of ineradicable group of people who experienced an irresistible sexual attraction to people of the same sex, no matter how terrible the punishment could be. For, as Nicholas Stoller states, “A real delight<…>we experience when we balance between danger and peace. "
According to the church, in afterlife homosexuals were no better. Some depictions of late medieval Italy show sodomites burning in eternal hell. One of the images shows a sodomite who was pierced through the anus to the mouth with a spit and the devil roasts him on a hot fire. The other end of the spit coming out of the sinner's mouth goes into the mouth of another naked guy sitting next to him. There is a clear allusion here, where the punishment for homosexuals mirrors their methods of obtaining sexual release. We see an allusion to anal sex by piercing the anus. And a pierced mouth is an allusion to oral sex.
At the end of the 14th century in Perugia, an Italian drama about the final judgment lists the punishments of God that sinners in hell will undergo. At the very climax of the drama, Christ describes the punishments for the sodomites:
“You stinking sodomites tortured me day and night! Go to hell immediately, and stay there in agony! Immediately send them into the fire, as they sinned against nature! You damned sodomites, roast like pigs! .. "
And then Satan tells one of the devils to turn this homosexual roast well. This is a very clear allusion to roasting sodomite ...
In general, Christian Europe, the entire flock (acre, of course, God's servants who sinned with their lovers in the same way - humanity has not invented anything new in sex) was in for such a terrible punishment for such an unbridled sexual deviation.
The religious court could consider any ejaculation of a man outside a woman's vagina to be a "Sodomite sin": between the breasts, thighs or buttocks, in the hand, on the woman's face, on her back or stomach. Any man could be called Sodomite if he had a Jewish woman, or a Jew if he slept with a non-Jewish woman. And this in Spain, Portugal or France could have ended with burning at the stake. So, the draconian Nuremberg Laws were not an invention of German Nazism!
At the same time, many of the most holy popes of Rome did not hesitate to engage in the "sin of Sodom", despite the outwardly negative attitude of the Roman Catholic Church and the "holy" scriptures towards him.
Among the popes they became famous for their homosexuality: Vigilius (among other things, he loved young boys. And one day he killed with a baton an unfortunate 12-year-old teenager who dared to resist him. This led to a rebellion. The rebellious people dragged the Pope out of the palace and dragged him on a rope through the streets Rome, subjecting him to the scourging. and bestiality), Sergius I (even issued a bull, according to which everything is allowed, as long as it is sewn and covered), Nicholas I, John VIII (fell in love with a handsome married man, whom he ordered to kidnap and with whom he then lived together, while in revenge was not poisoned by the wife of his beloved), Andrian III, Benedict IV (in which, as stated in a letter from his contemporary priest, the houses of the church fathers “are schA harlots and sodomites "), Boniface VII, Boniface IX, Sylvester III, John XII, Gregory VII, Innocent II, John XII (ascended the papal throne at 18), Benedict IX (received papal power at the age of 15), Paul II (known for collecting antiquities and antique art, a mandatory attribute of which was a naked, beautiful male nature, seduced the beautiful monks who served him), Sixtus IV (shamelessly elevating his lovers to cardinal dignity), Calistus III (who corrupted his own son and without a twinge of conscience cohabited with him), Innocent X (introduced into the college of cardinals his lover Astalli - a young man with whom he fell passionately in love), Alexander VI Borgia, Alexander VII (whom his subordinates called “the child of Sodom” behind their backs), Julius II (cohabited with his side sons, nephews, cardinals), Leo X (was Julius II's lover), Paul III, Julius III, Sixtus V, Innocent X, Adrian VII, Pius VI ...
Oh, how many of them were there - Sodom and Gomorrah! ..
What a papa! Saint Augustine himself, the founder of Catholic asceticism (to which he apparently came after becoming impotent), in his "Confession" repented that in his youth he indulged in this "shameful love."
The founder of the Jesuit Order, Ignatius Loyola, who loved young novices, was also a homosexual! Loved very young boys and young boys and the founder of the Franciscan Order, Francis of Assian! What do they all care about biblical prohibitions when it comes to their own sexuality, personal physiology and their pleasures! Prohibitions are for others, for the flock, for these rams who sincerely believe in everything that is written in the Bible! .. (See my essay "Christianity and homosexuality - war and peace" episode 38 in "Dawn of memory. Notes of a flight cadet schools ")
... I must say, "prophets" in general often foreshadowed doom. (Otherwise, who will listen to them !?) Soon they demanded terrible protection.
In 1348, William of Edandon, Bishop of Winchester, wrote to all the clergy in his diocese:
“It is with regret that we report the news that has reached our ears. A brutal plague launched an attack on the coastal regions of England. Although the Lord punishes us for our frequent sins, it is not in human power to understand the divine purpose. We must be afraid of human sensuality, whose fire flared up as a result of original sin, which established even greater depths of evil, producing various sins that caused divine wrath and his revenge. "
The Black Death killed half of Europe's population. The infected swelled from boils the size of an egg or an apple. They vomited black and green fluid and coughed up blood. This led to a quick and painful death. The relationship was falling apart.
“A brother left a brother, an uncle — a nephew, a sister — a brother, and a wife — a husband,” Boccaccio lamented.
For Bishop Thomas Brinton of Rocher, the beginning of the plague was God's punishment for the sins of his contemporaries:
“There is so much debauchery and adultery on all sides that only a few men are satisfied with their own wives. But every man longs for his neighbor's wife, keeps a stinking mistress, or has nightly pleasures with a boy. This is behavior that deserves a terrible and pitiful death, ”he wrote.
The Black Death was the 14th century apocalypse. But it was so! It was a payment for non-observance of basic hygiene, about which even doctors had a vague idea at that time. Lack of hygiene, not God's punishment for "sins"! As soon as people began to wash more often, wash their hands before eating, regularly change bedding and “ God's punishment"Immediately stopped. Although the physiology and sexual desires of a person remained at the same level!
The medieval world was much less reliable than ours today. A complex world of passions and romance, misogyny and eternal love for your beloved, for whom you are not afraid to die, child mortality and adult cruelty, piety and poetry, human stupidity and the search for truth. In that world there were girls seduced by men, and boys who attracted mature husbands, virgins, devoted to Christ, and priests who have given themselves over to all the pleasures of the flesh. It was a life that, I must say, became difficult for some, short for others. But just as sexually intense and not entirely cruel, if a person and his love knew how to keep the secrets of their sexuality from society, their confessors and the state ...

»In pursuit:

>> My sexuality is just my sexuality. It does not belong to anyone: neither my country, nor religion, nor society, nor my brother, nor sister, nor family. No-no!
Ashraf ZANATI
__________________________
(1) Author's remark: So, maybe this is the norm of human existence and relationships, if the majority seeks to have fun on the side? And the few who are "satisfied with their own wives" are some kind of deviation? After all, adultery (sexual betrayal) is characteristic of the entire animal world. Zoologists have established that only two species remain faithful to their chosen partner once and for all - leeches and shrimps. But this is not because they are so "moral", intelligent and God-fearing, but because this is due to their physiological existence. Like this! Everything! Others seek to diversify their feelings! Therefore, the norm is where the majority is! And the sexual relationship of a human being is no exception ...
(2) Author's remark: There is nothing more for God to do - first to give a person sexual pleasure, and then forbid him to use it, prescribing what and how to do, and what and how not! And watch, follow everyone, literally everyone, so that then be sure to punish! Not a god, but some kind of sadist!
(3) Guido Ruggiero "Borders of Eros".
(4) In other words, these young men were from wealthy families, they did not need funds, and at night they did not walk around the city to rob, but were looking for adventure on their penis and testicles! It is curious about what “method condemned by the church” - who else could condemn in those centuries? Society, eh? - says this young scoundrel? The Church even then condemned any ejaculation of a man outside the female vagina.
(5) And this is closer to bi- or even homosexuality. These lines clearly show completely different feelings of the author of the letter to his friend. This is more than friendship! Yes, and according to Freud, through the intercourse of the group with the same woman, the guys in this way, deep down, have sex with each other. This is especially true if they are turned on to watch the sexual acts of their friends, boyfriends and comrades. Or for someone to see their sexual intercourse.
(6) K. Perugio “Psychoanalysis of youthful eroticism. What Letters of the Past Can Tell, Rome 1959
(7) It turns out that the parents of the guys are aware of the nightly fun of their undersized!
(8) Minutes of the Religious Court, York, 1233.
(9) The Saracens (literally from Greek - "oriental people") are a people mentioned by the ancient Roman historian of the 4th century Ammianus Marcellinus and the Greek scientist of the 1st-2nd centuries. AD Ptolemy. A wandering, robber tribe, Bedouins who lived along the borders of Syria. Since the time of the Crusades, European authors began to call all Muslims Saracens, often using the term "Moors" as a synonym.

Reviews

God, my dear Author, you have approached writing this article so seriously! Could you please advise me of authors who write about the history of Europe since the fifteenth century? I am especially worried about France, Italy, Burgundy and Spain ... And I am also interested in a more detailed study of the life of people living in the Renaissance. In addition, it is haunted by what the legislative system was ...

05.02.2015

Demons, skeletons and inquisitors and other important concepts and characters of the Middle Ages with the most understandable illustrations.

Recently, thanks to the public “ Suffering Middle Ages"VKontakte users got acquainted with the irrepressible imagination of the people of that era and the diversity of their lives.

One of the community administrators, Yuri Saprykin, described how he sees the "gloomy millennium" in the form of a very explanatory dictionary.

A - Hell

The habitat of devils and demons. In Dante's Divine Comedy, it is represented as a funnel that rests on the center of the earth. The opinions of the rest about the geography of the underworld differed: in the Middle Ages, hell was either in the north, or in the third heaven, or opposite paradise, or even on some island at all.

Apocalypse

The last book of the New Testament (Revelation of John the Theologian), where you can read about the events leading up to the second coming of Jesus to earth. It's about all sorts of burning heavens, the manifestations of angels and the resurrection of the dead. The usual thing.

B-Disease

According to Christian doctrine, all diseases are the inheritance of original sin and the payment for all other sins. If in paganism illness is a temporary misfortune, then in Christianity it is a flawed way of existence, a demonstration of the weakness of a person and the fragility of all living things, and on top of that, a test that had to be coped with. If a person passed the test, then he got rid of sin, and if not, then ... I'm sorry, it happened, you are sinful.

B-Witch

Belief in witches in the Middle Ages was an important component of folk culture. God was the only legal source of supernatural phenomena, and the miracle was justified only for the saints, so no matter what superpowers the witch came across, she went to the fire.

G-City

The symbol of European civilization. It was there that schools, universities, cathedrals were built. A dependent person who spent a year and one day in the city became free. But not everything is so happy: the city is also hunger, disease, dirty water and other factors of the miserable life of ordinary people.

D-Discomfort

In the Middle Ages, everyone experienced discomfort, especially in terms of hygiene. According to legend, medieval people practically did not wash themselves. These are us Russians - once a month in the bathhouse, but Isabella of Castilian washed herself twice in her life.

Devil

If in the Bible he is depicted as a malevolent spirit that cannot compete with God, then in the Middle Ages his power in the minds of people became almost limitless, and his presence was ubiquitous. No matter what happened, everyone blamed the devil.

E-Heretic

Apostate. Neighbor of a witch. More often than not, heretics fought against the wealth of the Catholic Church by proclaiming evangelical poverty. The fate of heretics was usually sad - the fires of the Inquisition or the punitive campaigns of the feudal lords.

I-Indulgence

Church-sanctioned absolution. The practice has developed since the 11th century, and with the onset of the Crusades, all participants were granted complete absolution. At the end of the Middle Ages, with the development of printing presses, indulgences became so widespread that they caused the grin of any reasonable person and led in many ways to the Reformation.

K-Courtly love

The responsibility on the male part of the population fell out considerable. The lover always turned pale at the sight of his beloved, ate little and slept poorly, and at the same time it was necessary to follow certain rules: to be generous and loyal, to perform feats. The knights probably trained for a long time before rolling up to their future lady.

L-People go crazy

The beautiful Thomas Aquinas expanded the concept of sodomy. Lesbian love has become a sin - to the stake. All types of sex, except for vaginal penetration, are a sin, on the fire. For masturbation, too, was punished, as well as for changing positions in sex. And if a person tried to somehow diversify his sex life, then in best case he was left without genitals.

M-Microcosm and Macrocosm

In the XII century, the idea arose that man and the world consist of the same elements. Flesh - from the earth, blood - from water, etc. The desire to embrace the world and man, to somehow connect them - the main task of medieval science.

O-Order

Knightly orders were created for the crusades or the fight against infidels and pagans. Ordinary knights took monastic vows and obeyed a general discipline, which made them quite effective. After the fashion for hiking ended, they quickly degraded. In France, for example, the saying "drink like a Templar" arose.

P-Pilgrimage

Longest hiking trips, a form of godly travel. The task is as follows: you need to walk 1000 km to the centers of worship of Christian shrines and not die, which is not easy, because on foot, and sometimes barefoot. In the Middle Ages - the only justification for travel, which was usually seen as a manifestation of idleness.

Dance of Death

A macro where man and skeleton meet, with a poetic commentary reminding us that we are all equal in the face of death.

Torture

The main entertainment of the Middle Ages. Torture was widely used both as a punishment and to establish the guilt of a suspect. Needless to say, public executions and torture were one of the most popular folk entertainments.

R-Relics

In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the saint was present in objects associated with him, or in his bodily remains. With their help, the rulers demonstrated their power, and therefore the fate of the relics has always been difficult: they were stolen, traded, and presented.

C-Sexual life of a single woman

Dildos didn't have any official name until the Renaissance. In the Middle Ages, they were called haphazardly. In particular, the word "dildo" comes from the name of an oblong loaf of dilldough bread.

T-Truvers

French troubadours of the XI-XIV centuries. We went and sang folk songs, recited poetry. With the advent of the cult, the Ladies finally moved on and wrote only pop music about love.

U-Universities

Centers for urban scholarship, which originally taught only theology. However, universities quickly became a source of fundamental knowledge. Within the walls of universities, the concept of "nation" appeared - this is how student communities were called.

F-Flagellantism

Religious fanatics of the Black Death period wandered around the cities in white cloaks and cut their skin so that everyone would be forgiven. But things only got worse: some of them were infected with the plague, and from costumed fanatics, the flagellants turned into carriers of death.

Realizing that this is not enough and that something else needs to be invented to popularize "oneself", the flagellants began to urge to destroy ... who? That's right, Jews. After it was over, the flagellants dispersed. The mission to save the planet has come to an end.

X-Christ Superstar

The church fathers Jerome of Stridon and Aurelius Augustine wrote that Jesus should have had an ideal body and a beautiful face, and Thomas Aquinas continued their thought. According to some reports, enthusiasts created fake sources, which contained a description of Christ's angelic beauty.

C-Church

One of distinctive features period - the domination of religion, in connection with which the holy fathers become the most influential and richest people along with the feudal lords. Over time, the church became more and more in conflict with kings and emperors, and she had to give up part of her earthly power.

H-Purgatory

The structure of purgatory is like hell. Dante has it in the form of a seven-tiered cake. If a person is not good enough for paradise and is not completely mischievous in this world, he ends up in purgatory. By the way, in the seventh circle Dante has all sorts of sodomites who did not heed the decrees of the Church and copulated with bulls. This is the last tier, where you atone for sin and go to Eden.

Black Death

A third of the population of the Middle East and Europe died from the plague in the Middle Ages. People of that period believed that it was transmitted by air, and tried to limit contact as much as possible and wash less. In reality, rats and fleas were to blame for everything, and hygiene could save everyone.

E-Exemplum

A short story that was passed off as true. Nowadays it is called propaganda. A literate person talked about a situation, not necessarily true, but demonstrating a specific type of behavior that they tried to impose. In the 13th century, when the church needed to recruit classes, they began to tell all sorts of stories to illiterate believers. The people, judging by the sources, it really inspired. The authority of the church grew before our eyes.

Jubilees

They are also called "holy years". Established in the Catholic Church initially as the centenary of the church (1300) - during these years, the pilgrims who visited Rome were granted complete absolution. Subsequently, the periods between the anniversary years were reduced to 50 (1350), 33 (1390) and 25 years (1475). Just once one saint said: "It is impossible to have fun once every 33 years, we will reduce it to 25".

I am Poison

The Italians borrowed the tradition of poisoning in the Middle Ages from their ancient predecessors. First, Alexander VI Borgia dabbled in arsenic with his wife Lucrezia and son Cesare, then Catherine de Medici joined the topic. They used poisons in the most sophisticated way: for example, they first sharpened and then smeared the handles of the toilet doors with poison. The poison was poured into the wine from the ring (as is usually shown in the movies). They also poured it into the pasta.

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