The Corrupter of Boys

The Corrupter of Boys: Sodomy, Scandal, and the Medieval Clergy, the first volume in the Middle Ages Ser, provides a rigorous historical analysis of ecclesiastical sexual misconduct. Dyan Elliott examines how the requirement of clerical celibacy influenced religious authorities to develop sophisticated tactics for concealing sexual scandals. This history text explores how patristic authors, popes, and theologians established policies that prioritized the reputation of the Church over the protection of vulnerable individuals.

By investigating over a millennium of doctrine and practice, The Corrupter of Boys: Sodomy, Scandal, and the Medieval Clergy traces the origins of a culture centered on secrecy. The author focuses on specific high Middle Ages environments, including monasteries, schools, choirs, and episcopal courts, to show how boys and male adolescents were targeted. This Middle Ages Ser volume highlights the enduring connection between clerical privileges and the systemic concealment of sin within the religious hierarchy.