Medieval Chastity Belts: History Unlocked

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2024

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sexual purity was hugely importance in the medieval world, especially for women.

How did chastity work in practice? Why was it so important? And was the infamous chastity belt really used?

Joining Kate today is friend of the show and co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval, Eleanor Janega, to help us unlock the mysteries of Medieval chastity once and for all.

This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello my lovely betwixters it's me Kate Lister I'm here you're here the producers are here and the lawyers are here which is why I have to tell you
0:08.8	that this is an adult podcast book by adults to other adults about adult things in an adult
0:12.5	way covering a range of adult subjects and you should be an adult too.
0:15.6	And now you can't get mad because fair doge we all know what image first leaps to mind.
0:32.4	The chastity belt, right? That big clunky iron
0:37.0	pair of knickers with a padlock that was supposed to prevent anybody from having any kind of fun.
0:43.3	Well, women from having any kind of fun.
0:45.8	And as a historian, there are a few tinsy-winsy issues with this one.
0:51.2	Firstly, what if they needed the toilet? The idea was supposed to be
0:55.9	that you strapped your wife into this chastity belt for as long as you were away
1:00.0	fighting the Crusades. That's a long time. Like that could be years and what your
1:05.2	poor wife hasn't been able to go at the toilet properly for years. I mean I know
1:10.4	it's supposed to protect against chastity and I imagine that would absolutely do the trick,
1:14.8	but really, I just don't think that this is feasible.
1:18.5	So let's get our padlocks at the ready betwixters and find out more.
1:23.2	What do you look for me?
1:26.2	What do you look for, man?
1:34.0	Oh, money, of course.
1:35.0	You're supposed to rise when an adult speaks to you.
1:38.0	I make perfect copies of whatever my boss needs.
1:41.0	I just turning a knob and push his butt.
1:44.0	He or right!
	...

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