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Stacy Conradt
History of the World: The Truth About Chastity Belts
by Stacy Conradt - October 20, 2008 - 9:42 AM

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cbWe all know the origins of the chastity belt, right? Crusader goes off to fight, doesn’t trust his wife (or doesn’t trust the villagers left behind alone with his wife) and decides to fit her with a locking belt that will prevent her from having sex until he gets back with the key to unlock the belt. The whole scenario reminds me of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. “Call the locksmith!!! Call the locksmith…” Heh.

Anyway, despite all of us knowing this, that’s not how it really happened. The earliest such devices that have been found so far date from the 16th century, well after the Crusades. The chastity belt/Crusading knight idea was probably thought up in the 19th century by writers waxing poetic about love and battle in the Middle Ages.

There is evidence, though, that they used something called the brank or the Scold’s Bridle. It was an iron cage with a tongue depressor that locked around the head. It was used on gossips and nags who had to wear the contraption in public as evidence of their wrongdoing.

brank

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Comments (7)

  1. There were chastity belts, but they were worn voluntarily, and the wearer possessed the key. The Scold’s Bridle is a lovely device. Often, the “tongue depressor” that went into the mouth had spikes on it to prevent talking.

    posted by Amy D on 10-20-2008 at 10:19 am

  2. They were also used as punishments for immoral woman. So…yes, they existed. I saw one in Italy with outward-poking spikes over both orifices down there. No man would want to enter, and i’m sure it wasn’t too comfortable for the woman either.

    posted by Katie on 10-20-2008 at 11:36 am

  3. how did they go to the bathroom?

    posted by kat on 10-20-2008 at 11:59 am

  4. If the chastity belts were given to immoral women as punishment, how exactly were they being punished. If no one could tell that you were wearing one, it’s not like this is the scarlet letter of underwear. This entire idea seems stupid to me for some reason.

    posted by JB on 10-20-2008 at 1:54 pm

  5. I´m puzzled about the bathroom thing also…

    @JB: believe me, wearing that contraption would be punishment enough…

    And the Scold’s Bridle sounds like an absolute nightmare!!!

    posted by GTT on 10-20-2008 at 3:17 pm

  6. There were holes small enough to theoretically allow the wearer to go to the bathroom, although proper hygiene afterward is highly questionable.

    The Scold’s Bridle is meant to be a nightmare. It’s a method of punishment both corporal and humiliating.

    posted by Cassie on 10-20-2008 at 5:07 pm

  7. I visited the Medieval Crime Museum in Rothenburg, Germany where you can see chastity belts, scolds bridles and much (much!) more.

    posted by Meri on 10-20-2008 at 7:29 pm

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