Research is one of the major joys of writing historical fiction. For me, it isn’t only about the major events impacting the lives of my characters. It’s about how the medievals (or those in any prior era) thought about things we still ponder today.
In my series, I chose to age my characters chronologically. I suddenly realized that Prioress Eleanor was no longer a naive 20 year old but an experienced woman in her 30s. The others, some much older than she, were in middle age. Since I wasn’t yet ready to deal with an arthritic crowner or the issue of tooth decay in Brother Thomas, I knew I had to slow time down. As readers have noted, lots happened to Prioress Eleanor in 1282! But in planning Prayers of the Dead, I discovered that the grand historical characters were taking a short hiatus from wars, plots, and generic quarrels. I was forced to research other things as background to this book and focus more on character evolution. Brother Thomas needed to move forward before he began to sound whiny. Prioress Eleanor, now somewhat at peace with her love for the monk, was due for a new crisis.
Fun!
I won’t spoil Prayers of the Dead too much here. Let it suffice to say that my prioress will be faced with far too much on the professional front which will set her up for the new book now rattling around in my head. But Brother Thomas needed a new aspect of his nature to ponder.
Because the normal human life span was mid-30s in the Middle Ages, interest in sex was high. Some rejected it. Some reveled in it. But Victorian prudery was rather lacking. Because I did suffer from the Victorian influence, I was surprised to discover that the medievals (and the Church) discussed sex extensively and without embarrassment—although treatment of gay men was moving toward the lethal in my chosen era.
I have already covered how a gay man viewed himself and how the medievals viewed him in the series. But what about the intersex individual, then called “hermaphrodite”? Although the medievals fully recognized that humans were male, female, and blended, they also believed that humans could only be male or female because God had created just Adam and Eve. Instead of rejecting intersex people, however, they came up with ways they could be integrated fully into society. This included the Church. The rules were complicated but suggested a tolerance that would surprise many today. When Thomas is faced with this, he begins to ponder the question himself. Does it give him insight into himself or make his problems worse?
I use this discovery as an example of the fun of research. Prior eras are not always as benighted as we imagined, nor are we as enlightened as we think we are. And to assume the earlier times “had no awareness” of certain things can be a mistake. History really does have far more to teach us than wars, treaties, and the major events in the reigns of monarchs.
Priscilla Royal, October 18, 2021
