The medieval humoral system of medicine suggested that it was possible to die from having too much – or too little – sex, while the Roman Catholic Church taught that virginity was the ideal state. Holy men and women committed themselves to lifelong abstinence in the name of religion. Everyone was forced to conform to restrictive rules about who they could have sex with, in what way, how often, and even when, and could be harshly punished for getting it wrong. Other experiences are more familiar. Like us, medieval people faced challenges in finding a suitable partner or trying to get pregnant (or trying not to). They also struggled with many of the same social issues, such as whether prostitution should be legalized. Above all, they shared our fondness for dirty jokes and erotic images.
By exploring their sex lives, the book brings ordinary medieval people to life, and reveals details of their most personal thoughts and experiences. Ultimately, it provides us with an important and intimate connection to the past.
Praise for The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages
‘Masterful. There is no better guide to what occurs betwixt the sheets of the medieval bedroom than Katherine Harvey. The Fires of Lust – an absolute triumph.’ — Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex and Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts
‘With unabashed directness, a delicate touch of wit, and constant humanity, Katherine Harvey surveys the world of medieval sex and sexuality. Throughout The Fires of Lust she situates the twin themes of morality and medicine in the social and material world that medieval people inhabited. What those people thought, felt, feared and hoped for all play a part, alongside the pronouncements of theologians, lawmakers and intellectuals. Here, in its messy complexity, is medieval life – life laid bare, but always with respect and care. A triumph.’ — John H. Arnold, Professor of Medieval History, University of Cambridge, author of Belief and Unbelief in the Middle Ages
‘Learned, fun, and full of surprises – a fascinating, wide-ranging guide to medieval sexual attitudes and experiences.’ — Fara Dabhoiwala, author of The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution
‘A lively and readable account rooted in a deep knowledge of the scholarly literature on sexuality in medieval western Europe. Harvey’s specialism in the history of medicine provides particular depth, and is integrated with legal and cultural material to create a sparkling and convincing whole.’ — Ruth Mazo Karras, Lecky Professor of History, Trinity College Dublin, author of Doing Unto Others: Sexuality in Medieval Europe
‘The story of Simon the goat-lover is just one of hundreds of weird and wonderful anecdotes that rub together in Katherine Harvey’s jaunty study of late-medieval sex . . . Her book is an enjoyable romp, smart as well as funny. It left me fully satisfied, with a big smile on my face.’ — Dan Jones, Sunday Times
‘When does sex become rumpy-pumpy? . . . By the Middle Ages sex is indisputably odd. Reading Katherine Harvey’s The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages, I found myself thinking: weird, weirder and, occasionally, whoa! This is an eye-watering, jaw-dropping, blush-raising book. Harvey, a medieval historian and honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, has peeped through the keyhole of the past and caught the Middle Ages in flagrante. The tone is spot-on: curious but not prurient; correct yet amused.’ — Laura Freeman, The Times
‘Katherine Harvey’s The Fires of Lust seeks to counterbalance misconceptions about the supposed depravity of the Middle Ages by means of an impressively wide-ranging survey of medieval sexual practices and attitudes . . . The Fires of Lust is the most comprehensive picture of medieval sex to date, one that not only illuminates striking differences between sex then and sex now, but also dispels long-held misconceptions about life in the period.’ — Mary Flannery, Times Literary Supplement
‘An expansive, accessible and highly engaging account of what we do – and don't – know about western European sexual culture in the Middle Ages. The book offers multiple insights into the realities of medieval sex.’ — Alicia Spencer-Hall, BBC History Magazine
‘I can’t think of more brilliant Christmas book to give to one’s significant other if they have even a passing interest in medieval Europe or the rich and extraordinary sex life of its inhabitants.’ — Erotic Review
‘[an] irresistibly eccentric cultural history . . . Impeccably researched and impossibly entertaining, The Fires of Lust is a work that transcends its scholarly purpose . . .’ — The Australian
‘This lively, engaging study combines a scholarly rigour with a sharp eye for telling detail, told in a fluid style that keeps the pages turning. A culture in which clerics commissioned sheelagh-na-gigs – graphic carvings of women displaying their genitals – to adorn their holy buildings perplex us. Harvey takes great care to explain this complicated culture.’ — The Irish Times
‘An entertaining but thoughtful study, descriptive without becoming didactic or pedantic.’ — The Artsfuse
‘Katherine Harvey has provided an excellent introduction into the beliefs and the lived experience of sex in the Middle Ages. Her book is rigorous, empathetic, and deeply engaging. Fires of Lust is an excellent overview, especially for nonspecialists, students, and general interest readers.’ — Jacqueline Murray, Journal of British Studies
