ABSTRACT
Child sexual exploitation is nothing new under the sun, but rather it is a phenomenon deeply rooted in the human past. Yet understanding the content and the terms used to describe it are shifting, since they are connected to the contemporary values and knowledge. This chapter discusses sexual violence of adult men towards under-aged girls in the context of early modern Europe, especially in Swedish, German and English legal cultures.1 Aided by three exemplary cases from the seventeenth century, it strives to explore to what extent the age of the child was a decisive factor when defining the severity of the crime. Were girls perceived as victims and protected in the legal system differently from adult women? How consent was articulated – or was this issue merely silenced?
