Author: Mariah L. Cooper, Department of History and Classics, Acadia University - Academia.edu

Abstract: »This article explores the long history of medieval group rapes as performative masculinity and as an avenue to publicly display one’s manhood. By studying medieval England’s eyre court cases, it shows how raptus scholars have previously misinterpreted the potential collective experience of rape in the medieval past. This research demonstrates that rape cases, in which there is a single perpetrator accused of rape and other individuals accused of aiding in the rape, have frequently been inaccurately read by scholars as lone rape cases. This article presents alternative readings to medieval cases of raptus and ultimately argues that we must reread rape cases in which multiple men are accused of partaking in a group rape. Incorrectly reading group rapes, as individual rapes, works to falsely position group rape as a rare occurrence when in fact, the eyre court and king’s bench archives suggest otherwise. Exploring what medieval scholars can learn from the Hockey Canada allegations about the prevalence of group rape, we can begin to consider the homosocial bonds it may establish between young men. Connections between elite-level hockey players and medieval knights are drawn to demonstrate the collective experiences that group rapes and initiation rituals may have as a team-bonding activity. Drawing on homosociality theory, this research presents new ideas in conceptualizing how group sexual violence could be used as a medieval masculine community-building exercise and how it resonates with present-day issues.« (Source: Florilegium)

Contents:

	Introduction (p. 2)
	Homosociality Theory (p. 6)
	Medieval Group Rape (p. 13)
		The Case of Heloise (p. 14)
		The Case of Cecilia (p. 15)
		The Case of Juliana (p. 15)
		Bracton (p. 16)
		The Case of Matilda (p. 17)
		The Case of Margery (p. 17)
		The Hockey Canada “Scandal” (p. 18)
		The Medieval Jock (p. 22)
	Concluding Thoughts (p. 25)
	About the Authors (p. 28)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of England / England in the Late Middle Ages | History of the Americas: History of Canada (1982–present) / History of Canada | Sex and the law: Rape / Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal, Rape in England