“but the age of consent in other countries is…”
As a history major I also want add to the beautiful comments on this post that things weren’t “different back then” either.
The average medieval woman was married in her early or mid twenties.
Arranged marriages might have rarely been performed at a younger age, but it was absolutely not normal for them to be consummated, and the punishment for pedophilia when it could be proved was usually far worse than it is today.
Stop using medieval inspired fantasy as an escape for your sick bullshit.
Medievalist piping in to add yes he’s right. Child marriages were looked on with disdain and disgust in the Middle Ages. Arranged marriages might be performed as a rite and to secure land but it was kind of obvious to everyone involved that it was a legality thing and that the pair of children or child involved would not actually be involved in anything until they were an adult. Because that’s never been acceptable.
And before anyone says “but Ancient Greece!”…. no.
It is true that pedastery was practiced in Ancient Athens, modelling themselves on Minoan Crete, and that the younger partner in such a relationship could be as young as 15.
What they don’t tell you is that the age of majority in Ancient Athens was… also 15. These young men were old enough to vote, marry, and own land. You know, what we’d call in the modern era “a legal adult.” And even then, the sexual aspects of pedastery were frowned upon until the younger partner could grow out a full beard. These relationships were mainly used as a gateway into Athenian elite circles and to teach all the complex social customs practices therein, not as an excuse to bone underage boys (though I’m sure some unscrupulous individuals used it that way. It wasn’t the norm, though).
And many of the older partners werent that much older, usually in their early to late 20’s.
So yeah, the Athenians would look at you leering at that 14-year-old and also want to vom. An adult thirsting after someone below the age of majority has (surprise!) always been considered super taboo!
It’s almost like we created the age of majority to decide the age at which most people are mature enough to make important, adult decisions like marriage. And sure, in our modern era, that age is no longer 15 (and for good reason!), but when we analyse these sorts of practices, they require more historical context than just “the Greeks were paedophiles.”
historyblr is absolutely tearing apart MAP apologists in this thread and I’m all for it