Written accounts reveal how sexual assault claims were dealt with in the middle ages

Written testimonies from the medieval period show sexual assault being successfully reported to the authorities, despite legal, social and even family obstacles. This took place, we must remember, in a society which had next to nothing by way of forensic measures, so reporting a crime of any sort often meant that people had to be taken at their word.

Almost 30 years ago, pioneering research was carried out by medieval history professor María del Carmen Pallares into such cases in 15th century…

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