Medieval Sex

Warning: this episode contains explicit language. Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega to explore sex, marriage, and desire in the Middle Ages. They delve into the beliefs around sodomy as “non-procreative sex”; pilgrimages as raucous release valves, raunchy art and love spells. They'll look at sex habits among the different classes, queer lives in monasteries, widows’ freedoms, abortion, STIs, and the risks of childbirth, and what purgatory had in store for the lustful. Along the way, they bust myths from chastity belts to teenage brides. A funny, frank, evidence-packed tour of how people got down—then worried about their souls. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on. You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected].