When I think of Medieval Europe, same sex civil unions are one of the last things I would expect to find, however Allan Tulchin of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania has discover evidence that they were not at all uncommon. This according to an article in Live Science.
Through a study of gravesites and ancient legal documents Tulchin has found what appears to be a common practice in those ancient times. In France the legal term “affrèrement," translates as “brotherment” and it is codified by a contract in which the “brother" pledged to live together sharing "un pain, un vin, et une bourse," (one bread, one wine and one purse) Sounds pretty much like the civil union arrangements we have today, except these were sanctioned by the state.
While some of these arrangements may not have been sexual, others no doubt were. The research opens a new chapter in the continuing struggle for gay rights, which apparently was won and then lost after the middle-ages.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment