ABSTRACT
Sexual violence and rape may seem transhistorical, for sexual acts we may categorize as coerced, violent and/or violatory appear to have been known in all historical periods. Yet we must not assume that rape and other forms of sexual aggression have no history. Nor should we suppose that the direction of historical change follows an obvious or inevitable pattern. The specific circumstances, general contexts, and collective and individual meanings attributed to sexual violence may change over time and are matters for historical investigation. This chapter begins by sketching out approaches to the history of sexual violence, paying particular attention to accounts of change during the early modern era. Sexual violence and rape in the period 1500–1750 is then discussed in four sections: the first establishes the legal frameworks within which sexual violence was situated; the second considers the practical difficulties inherent in accusing, prosecuting, convicting and punishing rape; the third clarifies the nature and significance of the early modern crime of abduction and other forms of sexual violence as ‘property’ crimes. Finally, we revisit the issue of change over time.
