Sex v době temna. Sexuální život na českém jihu v prvním století Schwarzenberků (1660-1770) – Čechura Jaroslav (2015)

A significant work by a renowned Czech historian, which for the first time in Czech historiography addresses the topic of the sexual lives of our ancestors over a span of more than a hundred years. The unique work 'Sex in the Dark Ages', based on the rich documentation of South Bohemian archives led by Třeboň, where the author studied around twenty thousand documents, allows readers to familiarize themselves with the diverse expressions of sexuality in the Baroque era and to glimpse into the still under-researched dimension of the everyday lives of rural and small-town populations. Was sex in the times often referred to as the 'Dark Ages' a taboo, or was it not? How was sexuality perceived by society and how was it experienced by the very actors of sexual acts? What did love mean to our ancestors? What role did so-called marriage pragmatism play? What significance was attributed to the promise of marriage? How did public opinion evaluate premarital sex? How were unmarried women who became pregnant and illegitimate children treated? How were sexual offenses punished, from rape to incest? What sexual practices and contraceptive methods were used? These are just some of the questions the author poses and for which he finds answers in the sources – answers that may surprise many.