The catholic church, which dominated the religious landscape, considered sodomy as a mortal sin and a crime against nature. Learn about the history and laws surrounding homosexuality in medieval europe. Byzantine bishops (5th century) tortured and mutilated as a punishment for homosexuality, alongside countless other, unnamed victims of late roman and byzantine persecutions Most of the foundations of what we see in early medieval europe were laid by the roman empire, which at its height influenced almost all corners of the continent. The general view that homosexuality wasn’t tolerated in the middle ages applies primarily to the later middle ages, from the 13th century onwards This was something of a backlash to the more permissive urban life of the 11th and 12th centuries
Abstract homosexuality in the middle ages long remained virtually unexplored All that the pioneer investigators of the prehitler period, xavier mayne [pseudonym of edward irenaeus prime stevenson], the intersexes (1907), magnus hirschfeld, die homosexualität des mannes und des weibes (1914), and arlindo camillo monteiro, amor sáfico e socrático (1922), had to say on the entire period. The middle ages, spanning roughly from the 5th to the late 15th century, was a period marked by profound cultural, religious, and societal transformations The perception and treatment of homosexuality during this time were deeply influenced by religious doctrines, legal systems, and evolving societal norms This article delves into the multifaceted history of homosexuality in the middle ages. The medieval conception of ‘homosexuality’ was based much more on the nature of the sex acts performed rather than on the nature of the relationship of the partners
