Medieval European Documents Found Confirming Gay Unions

[DeSwiss]

Gay Unions Sanctioned in Medieval Europe

Jeanna Bryner
LiveScience, Staff Writer
Mon Aug 27, 12:00 PM ET

Civil unions between male couples existed around 600 years ago in medieval Europe, a historian now says. Historical evidence, including legal documents and gravesites, can be interpreted as supporting the prevalence of homosexual relationships hundreds of years ago, said Allan Tulchin of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. If accurate, the results indicate socially sanctioned same-sex unions are nothing new, nor were they taboo in the past.

“Western family structures have been much more varied than many people today seem to realize," Tulchin writes in the September issue of the Journal of Modern History. "And Western legal systems have in the past made provisions for a variety of household structures.” For example, he found legal contracts from late medieval France that referred to the term "affrèrement," roughly translated as brotherment. Similar contracts existed elsewhere in Mediterranean Europe, Tulchin said.

In the contract, the "brothers" pledged to live together sharing "un pain, un vin, et une bourse," (that's French for one bread, one wine and one purse). The "one purse" referred to the idea that all of the couple's goods became joint property. Like marriage contracts, the "brotherments" had to be sworn before a notary and witnesses, Tulchin explained.

The same type of legal contract of the time also could provide the foundation for a variety of non-nuclear households, including arrangements in which two or more biological brothers inherited the family home from their parents and would continue to live together, Tulchin said. But non-relatives also used the contracts. In cases that involved single, unrelated men, Tulchin argues, these contracts provide “considerable evidence that the affrèrés were using affrèrements to formalize same-sex loving relationships."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070827/sc_livescience/gayunionssanctionedinmedievaleurope

*** - I had been aware of this for some time, but apparently the "historians" at Live Science just discovered it. Might of helped a little if they'd have figured out before DOMA. Anyway, a number of websites have offered information on this fact, as well as a number of scholarly postings from academics. Hell, even Wiki has info on it. Well, I suppose its better late than not at all....



Just a few links:

http://www.infopt.demon.co.uk/marriage.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_same-sex_unions
http://candst.tripod.com/samesex.html
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4358.html

on edit: correct spelling

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. Dubious

But non-relatives also used the contracts. In cases that involved single, unrelated men, Tulchin argues, these contracts provide “considerable evidence that the affrèrés were using affrèrements to formalize same-sex loving relationships."

Care to provide any?

"The ins-and-outs of the medieval relationships are tricky at best to figure out.

I should expect so.

"I suspect that some of these relationships were sexual, while others may not have been," Tulchin said. "It is impossible to prove either way and probably also somewhat irrelevant to understanding their way of thinking. They loved each other, and the community accepted that.”

But you just said there was "considerable evidence." :shrug:

Inaccurate headline, in any case, since the author and researcher himself states in plain English that he CANNOT confirm that any of these affrerements were gay unions.

[DeSwiss]

2. I'm not sure to whom your ....

...questions are directed. Or exactly what appears "dubious." I can't answer for the historian, and I'm aware that this is just an article, not a scholarly treatise on the subject. Although there are quite a few.

As for the "fact" of civil unions there can be no doubt. These were formalize, primarily in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_same-sex_unions#Christian_Europe">Greek Orthodox Church and were frowned upon by the Vatican. You may wish to click on the additional links I provided for further information.

And as for the post's title, the article was precisely about the use of legal documents to formalize the relationships between same-sex couples. What those documents say, and the fact that they were considered legal. If that isn't a civil union, then I will quit right here.

But thanks for your input.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. The historian himself says "It is impossible to prove..."

Therefore, his work does not CONFIRM. Period. End of story.

[closeupready]

3. The fact of gay unions in Medieval Europe has actually been known

for quite some time now. Not sure why yahoo made this a big story, but it is interesting. :hi:

[DeSwiss]

4. Influenced by the Craig issue??? n/t

[closeupready]

5. I don't think so, but who knows?

:hi: