Sodomy and the East in the 'Seven Sages of Rome'

Abstract

This article describes the perspectives offered by a popular late-medieval story collection, the Seven Sages of Rome, on the intertwining histories of homophobia and islamophobia. Looking at one of the collection's tales, senescalcus, the tale of the steward, it considers how the sodomitical past of the king in this story is incorporated into its moralization as well as the varying treatment of the sodomy theme across its extant versions in English and French. Examination of the longer history of senescalcus reveals that the sodomy motif is introduced as the tale passes into the west from the east, where the Seven Sages originates. I contend that the inclusion of the sodomy motif in senescalcus reflects a tendency to associate sodomy with the east that was shaped by the experience of the crusades. The conclusion proposes that the Seven Sages fosters critical reflection on late-medieval European attitudes towards sodomy and eastern identity.