Queer identity in high medieval Europe

This thesis looks at queer gender identity in High Medieval Europe. Medieval conceptions of gender were very different than those of the modern day. As such understanding these conceptions is necessary in order to understand how queerness existed within this time period. In order to accomplish this, this thesis looks at gender conception in three major spheres of medieval life: the church, natural philosophy, and entertainment. Each of these spheres contains a plurality of different viewpoints that would have allowed queer individuals living in High Medieval Europe to understand themselves within their culture and society. To demonstrate this, the thesis concludes with several case studies of individuals who lived outside of mainstream medieval gender norms. The medieval period was just as complex a time as our own and those living in it who were outside of these mainstream norms had as full and complex of lives as we do today.