- Written testimonies from the medieval period show sexual assault being successfully reported to the authorities, despite legal, social and even family obstacles.
- More recent contributions to this body of research have continued to shed light on cases that date back to the Middle Ages and beyond.
- In Spain, for example, the process of implementing a law dubbed “solo sí es sí” (“only yes means yes”) has highlighted the problem of standardising offences and the “demonstrability” of sexual assault.
- In spite of these limitations, I have chosen two documented cases which clearly show women reporting and taking action against collective or individual sexual assault by men.
Celanova, Galicia: a granddaughter reports her grandfather
The written records, known as the cartulary, of the monastery of Celanova in Galicia are an excellent source of information on early medieval society in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. The documents it contains are mainly copies of earlier ones from the 10th or 11th centuries.
- The granddaughter’s name is not known, because the document focuses on the grandfather himself, who went by the name Tusto.
- In the written account he acknowledges his guilt, and explains that his granddaughter’s report (queremonia) was what brought him before the authorities.
São Pedro do Sul, Portugal: Jimena and Juan Arias
- In this case a woman, Jimena, and her mother, Ducidia, hand over a number of church goods to a powerful local magnate named Alvitu Sandizi.
- Jimena and Ducidia asked for his help because a man named Juan Arias had attempted to assault Jimena, or to consummate a relationship against her will (the Latin reads: volebat concubare sine mea volumtate).
The tip of the iceberg
- However, in our doctoral thesis project, and in other publications, we have tried to compile all available recorded instances.
- The two listed here are the clearest examples of women reporting such crimes, but they are by no means the only ones.
Analysing and learning about these stories not only sets a historical precedent for the present, but also helps us to change the way we see the past. It is the responsibility of historical researchers to bring back this evidence and share it. In this way, the actions of Tusto’s granddaughter, Jimena and her mother, and countless others can contribute to a society where women are taken seriously when reporting sexual assault.
Abel Lorenzo-Rodríguez no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.
