Chastity belts were common in the Middle Ages

Chastity belts were common in the Middle Ages
UNSUPPORTED
"Medieval knights locked their wives into iron chastity belts before leaving on crusades to ensure their fidelity."
Domain	History
Tactic	Fabrication
Era	Historical
First seen	1800s
Origin	Satirical references in late medieval and Renaissance texts, interpreted literally by later writers, and 18th- and 19th-century objects displayed in museums as medieval
Last reviewed	2026-10-27
Further reading: books on History

The claim that chastity belts were common in the Middle Ages is a widespread image of medieval sexual control. Popular accounts describe knights fitting their wives with locked metal belts before departing on crusade. Historians have found little evidence that chastity belts were used in the Middle Ages. The earliest known reference is a drawing in Konrad Kyeser's military engineering treatise Bellifortis, from around 1405, which included fanciful and joking devices. Later references were often satirical or humorous. Many supposedly medieval belts in museums have been reassessed as later creations, and museums including the British Museum have reclassified items once labeled as medieval.

What the evidence shows

• No medieval evidence. There are no reliable records from the period of the Crusades describing their use.
• Bellifortis. Kyeser's drawing is the earliest depiction, but his book contained many impractical or humorous inventions.
• Satire. Renaissance texts and images often used the chastity belt as a joke about jealous husbands.
• Museum reassessment. Several museums have concluded that their chastity belts were likely made in the 18th or 19th century, possibly as curiosities or fakes.
• Practicality. Historians note that wearing an iron belt for long periods would have caused infection and injury.
• Later uses. In the 19th century, some devices were sold to prevent masturbation, reflecting Victorian anxieties.

Why it persists

The chastity belt fits a popular image of the Middle Ages as barbaric and obsessed with controlling women. Museum displays and films gave the objects an air of authenticity.

Lessons for readers

• Jokes and satire can be mistaken for historical evidence.
• Museum labels can be wrong and are sometimes corrected.
• Ask whether practices described would have been physically practical.
• Later eras sometimes project their ideas onto the past.

See also

• The iron maiden was a medieval torture device
• Medieval people believed the Earth was flat
• Vikings wore horned helmets

Sources

• Albrecht Classen, The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
• British Museum, collection notes on objects formerly described as medieval chastity belts.