Summary: In Marie de France’s Lanval, Lanval was truly a homosexual and referred to in the following verses, what were the punishments for homosexuality in the Middle Ages?
“That women are not what you prefer.”
But you have a lot of little kids
With whom you carry your joys ”(lines 278-280).
In Lanval, by Marie de France, Lanval is accused of being homosexual by Queen Geneva after Lanval refuses to accept Geneva’s advances. Although Lanval explains to Guinevere that he has reserved himself for his fair lady and is loyal to his king, Guinevere seems to think Lanval is lying and accuses him of being gay. He then judges him for rejecting his advances even though he had done so out of love and loyalty to the king. This article will seek to investigate the medieval perspective on homosexuality and the common punishments that were applied for being declared homosexual in medieval times and the social ramifications of being accused or found guilty.
First, in medieval times there was an ecumenical council that condemned homosexual couples. This council was established in 1179 and was called Lateren III (Blogged.the-protagonist.net). This council was attended by 302 bishops and was presided over by Pope Alexander III. This council also dealt with other social stigmas such as heresy and sodomy. The church took allegations of homosexuality very seriously and those convicted could have been beheaded or burned at the stake. Specific torture devices were used on a convicted homosexual. One such device was called the Pear of Anguish. It was shaped like a pear, and when the handle was turned, the spoon-shaped lobes split open, causing significant damage to the victim’s intestines when inserted into the anus. This appliance was rarely washed, so the victim would surely succumb to the infection if they managed to survive the intestinal damage. This device was widely used as punishment for a plethora of crimes, one of which was homosexuality.
Being convicted of homosexuality in the Middle Ages for a person of noble status could lead to excommunication from the church and exile from the kingdom. Although it is not a death sentence, exile can be much worse than death. Being cut off from the earth and one’s court could be a fate worse than death for the nobility. Exiles would be subject to loss of status, land tenure, and whatever wealth accumulated through wills. This punishment of exile leaves the accused alone and away from familiar surroundings and persons.
Next, it could be argued that the queen’s ego was so bruised that she had no choice but to accuse Lanval of homosexuality. Lanval was bound by secrecy not to reveal his lover’s name for fear of losing his beloved’s hand. Guinevere was so offended by the fact that Lanval discarded his pass that she took him to trial. Offending the nobility was often a death sentence in itself. Taking Lanval to trial was a way of exposing what he might have heard others say about his sexual behavior. The line “But you have a lot of small children” (line 279) (from France) could imply not only homosexuality, but also pedophilia. It is often overlooked that the reason Lanval is on trial in the first place is because of the Queen’s inadequate advances. It was his wrongdoing and Lanval’s refusal to betray his love and King that brought him to trial. The Queen was the one who threw herself on Lanval and it was Lanval who refused. This is never mentioned in open account; perhaps Lanval is so noble that he still wants to protect the Queen’s honor. However, this protection could cost Lanval dearly, be it his life, his exile, or his love. Perhaps it is Lanval’s devotion to the king and his refusal to tarnish the royal family’s name and brand it with infidelity that makes Lanval stand up to court proceedings.
Ultimately, Lanval put himself in an awkward situation by being bound by secrecy from his lover. The only thing that could exonerate Lanval of homosexuality charges is to reveal his relationships with his beloved. Instead, he has to endure the stress of the ordeal at the hands of the Queen. Only at the last moment is he saved from being told the judgment by his beloved. His beloved could have come, at any moment, to the queen’s court and exonerate Lanval. His testimony of the sordid times in his tent would have quickly dissolved any thoughts of homosexuality from anyone who had an audience with the King and Queen in court proceedings. Instead, he waits until the last moment to save Lanval; leaving him to deal with accusations and the stress of court proceedings with no way to exonerate himself without breaking the oath to his lover. This oath of secrecy does not help her case, and Lanval’s refusal to renounce her lover’s name because of his innocence shows his passion for her. The King’s court, and the Queen, might see him as a homosexual who is making up lies about heterosexual intimate escapades to try to cover up the fact that he is truly a homosexual. In the end, Lanval’s lover came to his aid and there seemed to be no stigma on him at the end of the poem. It is a bit ironic that throughout this entire story, even at the end, where he is exonerated, the queen does not appear before her king and her husband to answer for their role in this entire ordeal.
In conclusion, homosexuality has prevailed since Roman and Greek antiquity. These acts were not punished as harshly in ancient times as they had been since conversion to Christianity in the Middle Ages. The act of homosexuality was brought against Lanval by Queen Guinevere, although no first-hand evidence is presented against her, except for Lanval’s rejection of Guinevere’s advances. It is rumors and a bruised ego that lead Lanval to stand trial. If the judgment was actually based on the queen’s thinking that Lanval was homosexual and therefore against God’s will, it is never openly discussed other than the aforementioned quote and the beginning of this text. It is more reasonable to assume that the Queen was furious at her own vanity and lack of skills to cope with the rejection that made Lanval a target of homosexual accusations to cover up her own wrongdoing. This argument raises questions within the author of this article as to how many people were executed or exiled out of vanity or inability to cope with rejection over the centuries.
Cited sources
From France, Marie, “Lanval”. The Norton Anthology. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. Eighth edition. Flight. One. New York, NY: WW Norton and Company, 2006. 142-157. Print.
Homosexuality: the queer fight for equality. December 1, 2005. Blogging. November 2, 2010 < http://blogged.the-protagonist.net/2005/01/25/homosexuality-the-queer-fight-for-equality/ >.
