What is the role of a courtesan in a late medieval setting?

[Carnifex]

Only if they were single or widowed. Married women were chattel and had no rights. I seem to recall (though my knowledge of law in the middle-ages is sketchy at best) that for a noble woman to remain single in England she had to pay a sum of money to the king every year and the king pretty much arbitrarily decided what sum it would be. Since that info comes from remembering something out of a biography on Katherine Swynford though it's entirely possible that it's wrong.

The idea that maried women had no rights is untrue, although they were in a situation where they didn't have an immense amount of freedom. It should be noted that its was not just the men who had affairs and suchlike.

The main area that they lacked rights was to do with their marital status, a situation that is still in place in many areas of the world today. They got married off to suitable partners on the basis of politics, not love.

The thing about noble women having to pay to remain single is incorrect. What actually happened was that the king had authority over widows and heirs of noblemen who died (which was a not uncommon occurance). Under certain monarchs, the heir to the nobleman's estate would have to pay a sum of money to ensure their inheritance rights, and sometimes the same was true for widows.

Consider this though - the king would usually ensure that the widow was remarried to someone of suitable status and power. Without the king's aid, widows were in a bad situation, since theere wasn't any vocation they could do to get money, and the property of their former husbands would not necessarily go into their possession.

 

[Desdichado]

It also depends on which country and culture you're referring to (I presume you think of England as the default here?) It varied significantly in Middle Ages Europe what women could and couldn't do.

 

[WizarDru]

The status of a noblewoman's property and marriage rights were, as with all things, a matter of where and when they were. Inheritance rights were not very good for women, particularly widows, until the Magna Carta nailed them down in the 12th century, for the English, at least. French women had it easier with the Salic law that predated the Magna Carta by centuries, and were often allowed to hold civic positions.

In some places, women could be taxed by the King to re-marry, while in others, the king would require a widow to pay a sum (usually larger than her dowry) to essentially prevent her from being made a servant of the court and forced to remarry as the court decided was best. Women could hold coin, and could purchase land-ownership in many places, creating allodial lands. The control of those lands could go to a future husband, but a strong-willed woman could hold on to them, though public opinion frowned on such behavior.

In short, a woman's rights were very dependent on the place and time.

 

[Hand of Evil]

History Channel has some wonderful shows on Sex in Different Ages. Look for them!

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Some kind of an argument about courtesans in the gamer girl thread that was deleted as OT to the thread. It made me curious - can someone enlighten me as to the historical function and status of a courtesan in late-medieval Europe? An actual courtesan I mean, not a euphemism for a streetwalker prostitute.

I don't think courtesan would ever be used as a euphemism for a streetwalker... except as a bad joke. There is a heirarchy of prostitutes even today - a streetwalker, vs a "call girl" for instance.

I'm not going to claim historical, cause its not as relevant (IMHO) as traditional medieval based fantasy, but there are a lot of different prostitute archetypes...

"Dock Whore" / "Crack Whore". The lowest of the low, frequented by the dregs of society and the occasional slumming middle class type. As likely, as they say, to give you a disease as an orgasm. Personlly, I might play a character who had been rescued from this sort of situation, but never one still in it.

Brothel Girl / "Call Girl". Opperates at a somewhat higher level of security and class than the whore, though theres still a large amount of variation within this type. Could have some autonomy is choosing patrons. Generally frequented by the middle class or in some settings lesser nobility. Fairly boring life, so I wouldn't play one.

Courtesan / way high class call girl. Not much of a comparison to modern times, though Pretty Woman could be seen as the trasformation of a whore into a courtesan... (maybe a gangsters Moll would qualify). Picks her patrons as much as they pick her, used as much for conversaton, entertainment and showing off as for sex. Lots of roleplaying possibilities, from political intrige to a cover for an assassin or bodygaurd... Brotherhood of the wolf had a great courtesan.

Concubine. Not a very european archetype, but good for many other stories. A "owed" woman, used by villans as an involuntary sex slave, but more fun as the traditional entorage for a morally nuetral ruler. Unless currently the "favorite" could spend much more time weaving tapistries and playing music than getting any bed action. Lots of rp possibilities. Bodygaurd, political advisor, unlikely rescuer of the emporer, the mind boggles.

Temple Prostitute. Again, not so european, but an interesting role for clerics of a fertility goddess.

BTW, in my expereince, "whore" is always a derogatory term, sometimes used to demean mistresses and girlfriends rather than describing a financial relationship. Prostitute is a good generic term, IMHO.

Kahuna burger

 

[sabinerak]

So far as playing a courtesan in rpg's go, this topic reminds me of something I just read about not long ago in the Scarred Lands setting. There's a "power group" called the Courtesans of Idra (Idra is a deity and Courtesans can be both male and female) and they infiltrate themselves throughout the various lands and city-states, attaching themselves to very powerful people, for reasons which they have yet to reveal (or at least to my reading of the setting so far.) I could imagine there might even be a prestige class for a Courtesan somewhere. Doesn't seem like playing a courtesan would be any more or less unusual than playing a spy or an assassin or some other roguish type.

Probable stupid question alert: Who is Pamela Bordes and what's an MP?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Re: Re: What is the role of a courtesan in a late medieval setting?

Interesting that you should mention temple prostitution as something different from the other kinds. . . . my (admittedly sketchy) understanding of ancient middle-eastern and Greek culture doesn't really differentiate a whole lot between temple prostitution and the other kind.

In the ancient middle east, my understanding is that "temple" prostitutes could be found at many roadside shrines and/or high places and none of the stories indicated that they had significantly different status from ordinary prostitutes. It's just that the money went to the temple rather than to a pimp and that men were expected to have sex with them at particular times (which meant that they had a certain amount of guaranteed patronage I suppose). . . .

Temple Prostitute. Again, not so european, but an interesting role for clerics of a fertility goddess.

 

[reapersaurus]

I'd strongly second the recommendation of Dangerous Beauty.

 

[Utrecht]

Probable stupid question alert: Who is Pamela Bordes and what's an MP?

MP = Member of Parliment

As far as Pamela Bordes - IIRC she was a former Ms India who was a researcher in the House of Commons during the 80's. She then borkered this position and her beauty/charm into a very courtesan type role - and nearly broke the (Tory) government in the process.

edit - updated some of the facts.

 

[sabinerak]

Thanks much!