People ask me questions about what is real and what I made up in the books I have written, Generally, people are surprised by what is real.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines historical novels as “those having as its setting a period of history and usually introducing some historical personages and events”. There are numerous variations of this definition but there is strong agreement that the genre tells a story that is set in the past, with an emphasis on rendering the time period as accurately as possible in terms of customs and attitudes.
People who have read my books have repeatedly ask me questions about what is real and what I made up. Generally, people are surprised by what is real. As such, I think it might be interesting to explore some of the surprising realities from the past in blog type format.
Numerous people were surprised by the sexual norms of the day in Back in Time which takes place in the 12th century. Much has been written on this topic and there are literally thousands of stories about the love and marriage norms for the nobility. But what were the norms for the typical peasant?
As I expected, the Church was highly involved in dictating this behavior. Basically a couple was to engage in sex within marriage and for procreation purposes only. The requirement that church members had to go to confession at least once a year became the mechanism for limiting sex to procreation. As the missionary position was believed to be most effective in resulting in pregnancy, the Church advocated that it was the only position that should be used. Those caught not following this guidance faced pressure and even punishment in some cases. Given sex was for procreation only, couples were not to have sex during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menstruation or on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and holy days (Lent/Advent).
Engaging in sex outside of marriage was a sin. But in Medieval time, manage was often somewhat informal. Many couples simply stated they were married rather than going through a public marriage overseen by a priest. The Fourth Lantern Council of 1215 tightened the rules around marriage and the Church began to prohibit clandestine marriages. However, it was not until 1563 that the Church defined marriage as a consensual arrangement overseen by a priest and witnesses.
Finally, I found the most surprising sexual belief/practice of the time period to be that women had to orgasm to conceive. This idea appears to originate from ancient Galenic theories that believed both partners released seed to create a child.
In Back in Time I tried to stay true to the marriage rules and sexual norms of the time. I deviate slightly to facilitate the sub-story romance.