Throughout history, bestiality sexual activity between humans and animals was considered among the gravest crimes, punished with extreme severity. Modern societies view such acts as criminal and abusive, but in earlier times, they were perceived not only as violations of moral and divine law but also as threats to social stability and the cosmic order.
Historical sources, including court records, ecclesiastical documents, and municipal archives, provide evidence of trials and punishments for individuals accused of bestiality. While often shocking to contemporary readers, these cases offer insight into medieval and early modern law, morality, and societal norms.
This article presents documented historical cases from medieval and early modern Europe, demonstrating how societies prosecuted, punished, and interpreted this taboo.
1. Ancient and Early Medieval Legal Context
Before focusing on specific cases, it is useful to understand the legal and moral frameworks that governed attitudes toward bestiality.
Roman and Early Medieval Law
Roman law classified sexual acts with animals as stuprum contra naturam crimes against nature. Punishments included death and property confiscation, reflecting the belief that such acts disrupted both social and divine order. While most Roman cases are not individually named, legal texts such as the Digest of Justinian reference prosecutions for unnatural acts, including with animals.
In the early medieval period, canon law increasingly codified the Church’s position: bestiality was a mortal sin. Theologians argued that violating God’s natural creation required not only penance but also legal sanction to maintain divine and social order. Ecclesiastical courts often collaborated with secular authorities to enforce these punishments, especially in cases that attracted public attention.
2. Notable Medieval Cases
2.1 Jehan de Rouen, Normandy, France (1466)
One of the most well-documented medieval cases involves Jehan de Rouen, prosecuted in Normandy in 1466.
-
Source: Archives Nationales, Paris
-
Charge: Engaging in “unnatural acts” with a cow on a farm.
-
Details: Court documents state that witnesses reported seeing him inappropriately interacting with a domestic cow. The trial included sworn testimonies and Jehan’s own confession before an ecclesiastical and secular panel.
-
Outcome: Jehan was executed, and the cow involved was destroyed as part of the legal and moral protocol.
This case illustrates the medieval approach: bestiality was considered both a sin against God and a disruption of social order. Public execution served as a moral warning to the community and a reaffirmation of religious and civil authority.
2.2 Case in Basel, Switzerland (1609)
In Basel, Switzerland, municipal records document a farmer executed alongside a goat.
-
Source: Basel municipal archives
-
Charge: Unlawful sexual activity with a goat on his property.
-
Details: The local parish noted repeated accusations, and a trial was convened by the municipal council in conjunction with the church. Witnesses described observing the act, and the farmer admitted guilt under oath.
-
Outcome: Both the farmer and the goat were executed, symbolizing purification and the enforcement of moral law.
This case demonstrates that legal enforcement often included destroying the animal as a symbolic act, showing how seriously such acts were treated across central Europe.
2.3 Scottish Records – 14th Century
Scottish legal texts, such as Regiam Majestatem, prescribed death for a man convicted of “defiling any beast,” with the animal also destroyed.
-
Source: Parish and municipal archives, 14th century
-
Details: Records indicate one man was accused of bestiality with a sheep. The trial included examination by local officials and sworn witness testimonies. The law did not distinguish by social class in cases that drew public attention.
-
Outcome: Execution of the man and the animal; several similar cases were recorded in parish registers, emphasizing strict adherence to ecclesiastical and secular law.
3. Early Modern Europe
3.1 Måns Nilsson, Stockholm, Sweden (1642)
A notable early modern case is Måns Nilsson, a farmhand in Stockholm.
-
Source: Stockholms rådhusrätt (Stockholm City Court records)
-
Charge: Sexual activity with a mare (female horse) on the farm.
-
Details: Neighbors reported the act to authorities. The trial included witness testimony and Nilsson’s confession under oath. Court records describe procedural steps, the interrogation, and public notification of the crime.
-
Outcome: Both Måns Nilsson and the mare were executed by decapitation, following Swedish legal customs.
This case demonstrates how formalized court proceedings and witness testimony were used to prosecute bestiality in 17th-century Sweden.
3.2 Colonial North America: Massachusetts and New Haven Colonies
European settlers transplanted legal norms to North America, where bestiality was considered a capital offense.
-
Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641): Declared the death penalty for “carnal copulation with any beast.”
-
Recorded Trials: Plymouth Colony (1646) and New Haven (1658) documented multiple executions, including cases involving horses and cows.
-
Details: Trials relied on witness reports and confessions. Execution of both the human and the animal was the standard practice, emphasizing religious and social deterrence.
These trials reveal the continuity of European legal thought in colonial societies and underscore the severity with which authorities viewed bestiality.
3.3 France and the Low Countries (16th–17th Centuries)
Numerous municipal and ecclesiastical courts recorded trials involving cows, goats, and horses. Execution of the human offender and destruction of the animal remained standard, and cases spanned social classes, showing that the crime was regarded as universally abhorrent.
4. Legal, Religious, and Moral Reasoning
4.1 Religious Sin
The Church consistently framed bestiality as a violation of God’s natural law. Theologians argued these acts disrupted divine order, requiring both spiritual penance and temporal punishment.
4.2 Public Order and Deterrence
Public executions emphasized deterrence. Authorities believed visible punishment reinforced community norms and moral conduct. Destroying the animal symbolized purification of the sin.
4.3 Social Class and Gender
While men were more frequently recorded as offenders, women were also prosecuted in some rare cases. Punishments varied by status, but public outrage often overrode class distinctions.
5. Transition to Modern Legal Systems
5.1 18th–19th Century Reforms
The Enlightenment brought scrutiny to capital punishment for moral offenses. Thinkers like Cesare Beccaria advocated proportionality in sentencing.
-
France: Napoleonic Code (1804) removed death penalty for bestiality.
-
England: Death penalty retained in 1828, replaced by imprisonment in 1861.
-
Sweden & Denmark: Shifted to fines and imprisonment.
This evolution marks the transition from morality-based law to evidence-based jurisprudence.
6. Reflections and Historical Lessons
Documented cases of bestiality reveal societal fears and moral frameworks more than the acts themselves. Public trials and severe punishments were meant to enforce ethical and religious norms, maintain social cohesion, and warn the community.
By studying Jehan de Rouen (cow), Basel farmer (goat), Scottish case (sheep), Måns Nilsson (mare), and colonial American cases (cows and horses), historians gain insight into:
-
The evolution of legal systems in response to perceived moral offenses,
-
Interaction of religious and secular authority,
-
The use of extreme punishment to enforce ethical norms.
From medieval Europe to early modern colonies, bestiality was treated as a severe moral and legal offense. Historical trials and punishments, meticulously documented in court and church records, illustrate how societies defined, prosecuted, and punished acts considered violations of divine and natural order. These cases offer a stark view into the intersection of morality, law, and social control across history.
