Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England

Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England commits a common sin in histories of culture. It is overloaded with names and dates. Perhaps if I was related to the people mentioned, I would find that revelatory. Unfortunately, I just found it boring.

However, the conclusions were interesting. One in six children didn’t live to age one. 2% of women died in childbirth. However, a lack of contraception made ten and twelve children common, which ups the odds of death to 20-24% over a women’s lifetime. Despite how prostitutes were depicted in Game of Thrones or similar tales, prostitutes were rare in medieval times. All aspects of sex and sexuality are covered but expect to do a lot of skimming. There are also no illustrations, which could have broken up the litany of facts a bit.

If you are planning a book or movie set in Medieval England, Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England might be worth reading. But for most readers it will be like hunting for gold or playing the lottery. More likely a loss than a win. 2 stars. Read the much better entry in this series, Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England, for a more interesting dive into British historic culture instead.

Thanks to Pen & Sword History and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.