Medieval Royals

One way of identifying evidence of Queer behaviour from the medieval era is through examining the lives of kings from this period. Many royals seemingly engaged in Queer behaviour within and around the Royal Court. Cultural Collections has a 19th century reproduced copy of Froissart’s Chronicles (BC Gen/FRO), which documents the lives of many medieval kings and queens. In this, Froissart implies that Edward II (1284-1327) had a gay relationship with Piers Gaveston, a favourite noble of the king.  Froissart also claims that another lover of his, Hugh le Despenser, was castrated during his execution, as he was accused of ‘sodomy’ with the king. We will never know for sure the inner relationships of the king’s court, but we do know that his relations with both these men caused immense controversy at the time. Edward II can be found in the Cultural Collections coin collection at CC.5703, a penny from c.1314-1317.

Richard II (1367-1400), depicted in the coin collection at CC.5705, is suggested to have had a relationship between one of his favourite courtiers, Robert de Vere. This was proposed by the chronicler Thomas Walsingham (?-1422), who had a virement dislike for the king. It is unclear whether he wrote about the king’s sexuality as a means to dismiss and discredit him, which was common practice in an effort to de-legitimize a monarch’s reign. Again, we will ultimately never know the extent of romantic or sexual relations that may have occurred.

Cultural Collections also contains a reproduced Book of Hours (Large Bibliography E-2/DUR) commissioned by John of France, Duke of Berry (1340-1416), originally produced between 1412 to 1416. John was the brother of King Charles V of France (1338-1380) and has been often considered gay, because of his commissioning of art and objects with homoerotic themes [9]. 

[9] Michael Camille, ‘‘For Our Devotion and Pleasure’: The Sexual Objects of Jean, Duc de Berry’, Art History, 24 (2003), 169-194 (p.171). 

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