In late medieval Valencia, city authorities would not punish a woman for being a prostitute or being a concubine, but she could not be both. A new article in the journal Speculum examines why this was, and why many lower-class men and women broke this law so they could be together. In the article , jointly written by Susan McDonough and Michelle Armstrong-Partida, the historians focus on Valencian court records, which survived from to , and the information they reveal about the men and women who were fined when found being in a relationship with a prostitute.
In medieval cities such as Valencia, prostitution was a regulated activity β city authorities created brothels and had rules on who could work in them and who could go to them. Moreover, they imposed various taxes and fines, which gave the city revenues. Women β usually those who were poor or migrants β would become sex workers in hopes of improving their economic situation. Meanwhile concubinage β a couple living together but not married β may have been disapproved of by church authorities, but was widespread in parts of society, especially the elite.
In the city of Valencia, a couple could live in a concubinous relationship without penalty, as long the neighbours did not complain in other words, as long as the couple remained discrete and did not cause problems. However, city authorities did have a problem with prostitutes who also lived as concubines. Between to , women and men were fined for this infraction, which was the majority of all offences recorded in relation to prostitution.
Why did the city authorities in Valencia and other places object to this situation? She was, by definition, a woman whose body was available to many men, unlike a concubine who limited access to her body to just one man. Yet, despite the fines, and a later law which forced men convicted of being in such a relationship to wear a hood with a yellow cowl there were already laws mandating that prostitutes wear specific clothing , there were many still willing to live together.
There could be many and multiple reasons for men and women to have these relationships β affection, friendship, economic co-dependence the records often note that these could be very poor people, who would not even have enough money to pay their fines.
