No sex please, we're medieval! How people in Middle Ages preferred foreplay and ignored church demands to only procreate
- Dr Eleanor Janega said people were 'not interested' in only having sex to produce children
- She was speaking on History Hit's Gone Medieval podcast, to Dr Cat Jarman
- Ordinary people considered 'non-procreative' foreplay 'the good stuff'If there's one thing we know for sure about the history of humanity, it is that having sex is nothing new.
But in societies across the world, romance between individuals has long been a subject of interest for both religious and state authorities.
But expert Dr Eleanor Janega has revealed how people living in the Middle Ages were 'not at all interested' in the medieval church's view that the only kind of acceptable sex was that which produced children.
Speaking to fellow historian Dr Cat Jarman on History Hit's Gone Medieval podcast, Dr Janega instead said ordinary people in the medieval period considered what she called 'non-procreative' sex, such as foreplay, 'the good stuff'.
Dr Eleanor Janega has revealed how people living in the in the Middle Ages were 'not at all interested' in the medieval church's view that the only kind of acceptable sex was that which produced children. Pictured: An image from 14th century Italian work Coitus Liber Tacuina Sanitatis
The expert is the author of new book the Middle Ages: A Graphic History, which was published at the start of this month.
Dr Janega is the author of new book the Middle Ages: A Graphic History
She told Dr Jarman: 'When we think about sexuality in the medieval period, it is a history of the church trying to get people to only have procreative penis in vagina sex and to only consider that the only type of sex that is worthwhile or acceptable.
'What I think is kind of quite funny about that is medieval people don't seem to be interested in that at all, whatsoever.
'They want to have a lot of non-procreative sex, they seem to be considering that the good stuff.'
She added that people living today have 'internalised' what she called the 'church's view on sex' – that it is only 'real' when it is 'penis in vagina'.
'Medieval people seemed to be really interested in the kind of sex that we call foreplay or not real,' she said.
'The church tries really hard but they seem to be doing a better job with us than they did with medieval people.'
Speaking to fellow historian Dr Cat Jarman on History Hit's Gone Medieval podcast, Dr Janega instead said ordinary people in the medieval period considered what she called 'non-procreative' sex, such as foreplay, 'the good stuff'. Pictured: An image from 14th century Italian work Coitus Liber Tacuina Sanitatis; and a scene from 15th century book Heures de Charles d'Angolêm
She added that influential theologian Thomas Aquinas railed in his writings against what he called 'lascivious kissing'.
'You're not supposed to be too turned on, you're not supposed to be doing too many things, you need to do exactly the right amount, be done with it and have the baby,' Dr Janega said of the then view.
As well as mandating that sex should only be for the purposes of procreation, Church also said that lovemaking should be avoided on Sundays, because it was the Lord's Day.
It was also prohibited on Thursday's and Fridays, because they were supposed to be days preparing for taking Holy Communion on Sunday.
And during Lent, which could last up to 62 days, ordinary people were expected to be abstinent.
Dr Janega also revealed in the new podcast that sex toys were also popular in the medieval period. She said: 'We know for example that a lot of dildos exist because we have things like receipts for them, so leather workers who would make really intricate dildos for people, that's a thing.
She added that people living today have 'internalised' what she called the 'church's view on sex' – that it is only 'real' when it is 'penis in vagina'. 'Medieval people seemed to be really interested in the kind of sex that we call foreplay or not real,' she said. Pictured: A scene from The Decameron, written by Gioovanni Boccaccio in the 14th century
'And we do tend to think that they are used in what we would call 'lesbian circumstances' a lot of the time.
'We know that they can be sold with harnesses and things like that.'
She added that medieval people also did not view sexuality in the same way that modern people do.
'Because for them there is no such thing as homosexuality or heterosexuality, instead you are either a sodomite or you're not,' she said.
'For them, sodomy is defined as all kinds of sex which can't get you pregnant.'
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