medieval homosexuality

Tag: medieval homosexuality

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

By Katherine Harvey February 9, 2016 Author Interviews 0 comments

Interview by Katherine Harvey In The Manly Priest: Clerical Celibacy, Masculinity, and Reform in England and Normandy, 1066-1300, Jennifer Thibodeaux tells the story of the imposition of clerical celibacy in the Anglo-Norman realms. For much of the medieval period, priests in both England and Normandy were not only permitted to marry, but […]

Beyond penetration: rethinking the murder of Edward II

By Kit Heyam March 24, 2015 LGBTQ, Medieval 8 comments

Kit Heyam On 23 September 1327, the young king Edward III received word that his father had died. The former Edward II, who had been coerced into abdication in January of that year, had been imprisoned in Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, at the time of his death. While official reports stated […]

The King’s Favourite: Sex, Money and Power in Medieval England

By Katherine Harvey January 15, 2015 LGBTQ, Medieval 0 comments

Katherine Harvey In November 1326, Hugh Despenser was condemned to death for treason. Drawn to the gallows on a hurdle, he was hanged from a height of 50 feet; then, before he was completely dead, he was cut down from the gallows, eviscerated, and beheaded. His head was displayed on […]