The Faces of Prostitution in the Hanseatic Area from the 12th to the 16th Century

Abstract

The book provides a factually based and very comprehensive examination of prostitution in the Hanseatic Area between the 12th and the 16th Century using as an example the cities of Lübeck, Helsingør, and Bergen. The author Dagmar Hemmie approaches different relevant aspects of prostitution in 20 chapters, including for example the legal and economic conditions in the cities, the social milieu and societal position of the women, care for health matters, and the control as well as fates of illegitimate children. She concerns herself extensively with the different reasons for entering into prostitution. She also attempts to sketch—in as far as possible—the lives of individual women. Numerous cases, sources, and city maps are integrated into the text or are available as an appendix. These features as well as a straightforward style of writing provide the book with great authenticity, liveliness, and plasticity. This work is absolutely a recommended read for those who are (historically) interested.