The Vast majority of Christian ideals in the middle ages came from Saint Augustine and sexual practices are often referred to as the Augustinian ideals. “St Augustine concluded that procreation was the only justification of sexual intercourse by a husband and wife. Celibacy was the highest good, while intercourse in itself was only and animal lust…. It was this concept that the Christian Church attempted to establish for the medieval world.” (Bullough, Brundage 12).

    Though the Church was against sex unless it was for procreation, they worked several brothels on the side and benefited from the “animal lust” that so many people seemed to have. Their official view on prostitution was that a prostitute was “a weak and strayed person who could be saved in spite of herself” (Bullough & Brundage 34).

    To the law enforcement of the medieval period, breaking sexual laws was a higher offense than regular laws. Any kind of sex besides that for procreation was outlawed. Masturbation was also a punishable offense, by blindness, penance or even death on repeat offenses. In short, “Medieval canon law gave a greater emphasis to sexual crimes and other sexual matters then did Roman civil law” (Bullough & Brundage 101) In later years, luckily for today’s population, the laws became far more lax.

    “Nonmarital sexual unions are a fact of life in all societies. This was particularly bothersome for medieval Europeans, whose theological views of sexual morality insisted that marriage must provide the unique situation in which sexual relations could be tolerated- and even within marriage the experience of sexual pleasure was not highly regarded by high minded celibate churchmen” (Bullough & Brundage 118).