The Corrupter of Boys: Sodomy, Scandal and the Medieval Clergy

By Dyan Elliott Author Interviews, Childhood and Youth, Medieval, Religion and Sexuality, Sexual Violence

Scandal-averse policies have enabled the widespread sexual abuse of boys and male adolescents within the Church.

Virgin Whore

By Emma Maggie Solberg Author Interviews, Medieval, Religion and Sexuality

A surprisingly prevalent theme in late English medieval literature and culture: the celebration of the Virgin Mary’s sexuality.

‘The Stimulus of the Flesh’ and Margaret Singleton’s Broken Vow

By Laura Wood Medieval

While many vowesses broke their chastity vows, Margaret Singleton’s case was different and remains an unsolved mystery.

The Manly Priest: Celibacy, Masculinity, and Reform in the Medieval Period

By Katherine Harvey Author Interviews, Medieval, Religion and Sexuality

The story of the imposition of clerical celibacy in the Anglo-Norman realms.

The Problematic Priestly Body: Celibacy, Sexuality and the Trials of the Medieval Clergy

By Katherine Harvey Medieval

Many medieval clerics struggled to obey rules which said they must remain celibate.