Abstract

Jonas of Orléans’ Institutio laicalis, a moral treaty for the lay noblemen in the Carolingian empire, deals extensively with marriage and conjugal life. In his view of marriage, Jonas seems to accord little room to sexuality. Nevertheless, the chapters consecrated to it are a key to his configuration of the proper relationships between husband and wife. His discourse on conjugal sexuality is examined here in the light of the political and cultural context for which it was contemplated. In regulating sexuality, Jonas made his contribution to the Carolingians’ efforts to seize control over the physical and social reproduction of aristocratic groups.