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Great courtesans. Officers and "selling love"

Great courtesans. Officers and "selling love"

24.02.2019

In a letter from the 18th century that has come down to us, a French traveler tells a friend with amazement that "Italian courtesans wear small panties under their skirts." It is significant that this item of clothing is found among courtesans - for a long time pantaloons were considered extremely indecent, as they meant the usurpation of a male item of clothing. Who are they? We know a lot from films and books, here's a little more about "honest" and "dishonest" courtesans and their way of life and clothes.

In the 15th century, aesthetic prostitution was widespread in Italy, which, according to the Count, represented a revival of prostitution. Ancient Greece. The prostitutes of this class, unlike the common ones, were called "Meretrices honestae". They were generally highly educated and rotated in higher spheres society: among artists, dignitaries, princes, etc. In the Graf we find the following description of some of them: the famous Imperia learned the art of composing poetry from Nicolo Compono, surnamed "Lo Strascino", and owned Latin. Lucretia, nicknamed "Madrema non vuote", could serve as a model of correct and elegant language, and Aretino speaks of her through the lips of the famous life-saver Ludovico in one of his Ragionamenti the following: "She could be called Cicero: she knows Petrarch and Boccaccio by heart and a mass of verses from Virgil, Horace, Ovid and many other authors. Lucretia Squarcia, a Venetian by birth, mentioned in the famous Tariffa, could often be seen at festivities with the works of Petrarch, Virgil and Homer in her hands: Recando spesso il Petrachetto in mano, Di Virgilio le carte ed or d "Omero.

The names of Tullia d "Aragona and Veronica Franco are known in the history of literature, and Camille Pizana wrote a book edited by Francis del Nero. Her letters that have come down to us are distinguished by a slightly pretentious style, but not without grace; they contain many Latinisms and even whole Latin expressions .Speaking of the famous Isabella de Luna, a Spaniard who traveled half the world, Bandello notes that she was considered the most intelligent and dexterous woman in Rome. Aristocrats and writers not only did not hide their ties with the most famous courtesans, but even boasted of them, and everyone aspired get more attention from them than his rivals.The famous commander Giovanni Medici ordered Lucretia ("Madrema non voule") to be forcibly taken away from Giovanni del Stufa, who gave a feast in Recanati in honor of her. who would not want to recognize Tullia d "Aragon as the most respectable and admirable woman in the world. When such Aspasia changed her place of residence, they talked about her as much as about the arrival and departure of the queen. The messengers even informed their courts about this

At the end of the 15th century in Rome, in connection with the reform of the papal office, various circles appeared where cultural, philosophical and poetic thinking was discussed. To dispel a too learned atmosphere, men need sorority high class. There was no question of the ladies of the upper strata of the Roman nobility, so the choice was made on free women cohabiting with unmarried members of the curia, the most beautiful and educated were selected from them.

Apart from cultural communication, they performed their direct duties as a prostitute and received a privileged social status Cortegiana, hoc est meretrix honesta (cortigiana, ovvero prostituta onesta) or "honest" courtesan. Honesty in this case has nothing to do with chastity, but means a bourgeois lifestyle, culture and good manners.

Thus, "honest" courtesans at the end of the 15th century, thanks to the generous gifts of their patrons, become owners of real estate, luxuriate in luxury, and, like the most sophisticated princesses, arrange daily receptions. The craft of courtesans is so profitable that often mothers are ready to spend a lot of money to educate their daughters, hoping to see their child under the "guardianship" of a noble nobleman.

Indeed, some representatives of this profession led such a chic lifestyle in their magnificent palaces that at one of these receptions, the Spanish ambassador, forced to spit, preferred to do it in the face of his servant so as not to spoil the wonderful carpets of the owner of the house.

Of course, not all "honest" courtesans had such palaces, but many of them still had well-arranged dwellings. This is evidenced by the decree of the Senate of Venice of 1542, in which prostitutes were forbidden to decorate the interior decoration of rooms with thin silk fabrics, they were allowed to use only ordinary fabrics woven in the cities of Bergamo or Brescia.

In fact, this decree will remain a dead stone, in Venice and in Rome the houses of "honest" courtesans still continue to burst with luxury: satin upholstery, painted furniture, silk canopies over the bed with erotic frescoes on the ceiling. In Venice, priestesses of love, in addition to cats and dogs, loved to keep overseas monkeys and exotic birds.

As a rule, "honest" courtesans hunted under the tutelage of some aunt, mother, or an old prostitute posing as a mother (although there are cases when courtesans lived alone). Many prostitutes who did not have children of their own adopted little girls, gradually teaching their craft, thus providing a cash income in old age.

To understand who was called courtesans, it is enough to read the official document of Venice from 1542. It emphasizes that prostitutes are considered to be all unmarried women who have an intimate relationship with one or more men, as well as married women who do not live with their husband, but live separately and have intimate relationships with one or more men.
Courtesans of low rank

The second, less fortunate category includes courtesans of the lower classes, they are more numerous. Some of them, in one way or another, could not become "honest" courtesans, while others, having once received a high fate, sank to the bottom of life.

Some women ended up in brothels located in the shady quarters of Rome, where poor and rude clients were waiting for them. In addition, prostitutes were required to give part of the proceeds to the so-called captain. The captain, with the permission of the papal office, took a tax from each courtesan, 2 carlini per month, in addition to this, he was the owner of a free gambling house and an inn.

Other courtesans hunted in therapeutic salons - stufe. The fashion for such institutions came in the 15th century from Northern Europe, at first they really were engaged in the treatment of various diseases, but then they turned into a kind of brothels. Soon stufe could be seen in all Roman quarters. It is said that Raphael himself was the owner of one of these rooms, and Michelangelo was an inveterate visitor to such places in order to improve the technique of depicting naked bodies.

Many clients were treated in stufe with massages by impromptu physicians and surgeons, but their main desire was to meet courtesans. Many of these establishments were run by former prostitutes; in the 16th century, stufe turned into underground gambling houses and real brothels - lupanari, where courtesans were obliged to give part of their earnings to the owner of the establishment.

Attitude towards courtesans

On the one hand, the authorities persecuted the courtesans, and on the other hand, they demanded and encouraged this kind of activity. What was this behavior?

The fact is that the male population was much more numerous than the female, it needed courtesans to discharge sexually without the help of respected ladies. The role of courtesans was to preserve the family unit. The English traveler Thomas Coryat writes in the 17th century that the Republic of Venice opened a free road to prostitution in order to protect the benefactor of wives and the honor of husbands.

At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, an unusual decree was issued in Venice, which stated that prostitutes living in special quarters were required to sit in front of windows, hanging out their legs and exposing their breasts in order to attract men more strongly, thereby protecting them from homosexual connections. A document that has come down to our time confirms that in Republic of Venice In the 15th-16th centuries, the spread of homosexuality was too great, especially among the intellectuals and religious ranks, so that many prostitutes were left without their inveterate clients.

On the other hand, prostitution has always been a profitable activity for the city, and the city authorities knew how to profit from it. In 1549, under Pope Paolo III, for the reconstruction of the bridge over the Tiber, Roman courtesans were taxed in the amount of 1 giulio (a silver coin under Pope Giulio II) from each scudo paid for renting housing.

In Venice, ordinary and extraordinary taxes were also introduced for prostitutes. Since 1413, on the basis of a Senate decree of the Venetian Republic, the University of Padova has the right to collect taxes from public toilets and from courtesans, using the money for the needs of the university. In 1514 in Venice, in connection with the construction of the Arsenal, local courtesans were heavily taxed.

Prostitutes received payment from passing foreigners, then invested in local banks (the courtesans were favorite clients of banks), thereby encouraging the local economy.

Body and appearance care

The courtesans devoted a lot of time to caring for their bodies; in this they did not lag behind the ladies of high society. Some writers of the Renaissance period claim that priestesses of love are more neat and well-groomed than women from a decent society. According to their stories, which have come down to our time, you can find out how "honest" courtesans looked after themselves.

Early in the morning, before getting out of bed, the courtesan uses a napkin to remove the plaque that has formed during the night from her teeth, and then rinses her mouth several times. clean water. Then she washes her whole body with water with a decoction of aromatic herbs, this procedure is usually repeated several times a day. Then the maids dry their mistress with a linen towel, give her manicures and pedicures, and sprinkle her with perfume and incense.

Cosmetics are used throughout. Courtesans, with good taste, used rouge in limited quantities, only to hide the excessive pallor that appeared after a sleepless night of love or a little malaise.

Artists of that time depicted angels, Madonnas and portraits of angelic ladies with blond golden hair, poets also fell in love and sang golden-haired beauties. Blond hair is becoming fashionable, especially in Venice, where noble ladies and courtesans resort to a rather laborious method of dyeing their hair in a light color, which was called - biondo veneziano.

Venetian women sat for hours on the open terraces of their houses under the rays of the scorching sun, smearing their hair with a special solution. As a rule, in these cases, they dressed in linen or silk clothes and covered their heads with a wide-brimmed straw hat without a bottom, releasing their hair outward, thus escaping from the heat.

For the preparation of such dyes, white wine sludge (wine grounds) mixed with olive oil was often used. This method was considered quite laborious, it was necessary to sit under the sun for hours, periodically combing the hair with a comb. But already in the 15th century, Caterina Sforza used simpler methods of dyeing hair without sunbathing. New dyes consisted of a mixture of soda and potassium carbonate.

Courtesan clothes

After caring for the body, the courtesan moved on to dressing. Each city had its own fashion, but everywhere, "honest" courtesans and noble ladies from high society, united by the same desire - outfits from the most expensive and rich fabrics. Often the fabric was decorated with precious stones and gold pendants, sometimes it was woven together with a gold thread in the form of a net, to which pearls were attached.

Silk petticoats dyed gold were also used. This is not to mention jewelry, all kinds of necklaces, chains, bracelets, tiaras with large precious stones: diamonds, rubies, pearls, etc. Many "honest" courtesans dressed like this not only in the evening, but also during the day.

Subsequently, during the period of Pope Pio IV and Pope Pio V, a decree was issued forbidding Roman courtesans to use gold, silver, embroideries, velvet and other expensive materials. Then the women resorted to a trick, they covered themselves with a long cape in the form of a cloak, under which they hid exquisite outfits.

In many other cities similar measures were taken not only in relation to courtesans, but also to women of all classes. This is not due to the morality of that time, but to the desire to avoid unnecessary spending on excesses, the so-called unproductive waste of money, causing harm to the whole society. In 1558, a similar decree was issued in the city of Pistoia, since the desire to have luxurious outfits led to the fact that girls from good families stopped marrying because their families were not able to guarantee a dowry with an expensive wardrobe.

Often, the fathers and brothers of marriageable girls, in order to provide them with a husband, went bankrupt.

The clothes of "honest" courtesans are so similar to the outfits of ladies of high society that it is sometimes difficult to determine by eye who is who. Therefore, in Florence, a medieval law was reintroduced, obliging courtesans to use identification marks, the law also applied to Jews and lepers. In 1546, Cosimo I ordered prostitutes to cover their faces with a yellow veil or attach to their clothes (in a conspicuous place) a yellow bow, the width of a finger. In 1562, the veil is replaced by a beret.

In 1535, a law was passed in Venice obliging all citizens to lead a more modest lifestyle. A list of permitted jewels was published: bonnets made of gold or silver threads, with a price not exceeding 10 ducati; rings; only one string of pearls, by permission of the Venetian authorities, no more than 200 ducati - allowed to be worn only around the neck; one gold chain or rosario, no more than 40 ducati. The above listed jewelry is in itself a whole capital, so one can only guess what riches the inhabitants of Venice owned at that time.

One English traveler, passing through Venice, describes married women seen in the city. He writes that the ladies' dresses are front and back reinforced with whalebone. The blond hair of the Venetians is styled in thick braids over the head in the form of peculiar horns, without any support, behind, a black veil falls on the shoulders, covering neither the hair, nor the shoulders, nor the breasts, which are open almost to the stomach. Women seem to be taller than men, because they wear shoes on a very high platform (50 cm), so two maids walk next to the mistress, the lady leans on one when walking, the other carries her train. Young and old ladies move with an unsteady gait, showing their bare breasts to everyone they meet.

Then comes a new fashion, from which many women are crazy, both courtesans and ladies of noble families, as well as ministers of the church. This fashion consists in wearing men's clothing, so it is not difficult to guess that such liberties were immediately banned by the local authorities and the church. True, the Venetian courtesans started a rumor that in men's clothing only those who did not have enough money for luxurious women's toilets dressed.

Lower-ranking courtesans, of course, did not wear such expensive outfits, but they also used silk fabrics, gold bracelets, silver chains and thin silk stockings.

morning classes

Having washed, put on makeup, combed her hair and dressed, the courtesan finally begins her long working day. Most often, she takes a walk through the streets of the city, accompanied by fans who, trying to predict her desires, give the beauty gifts.

During the holidays, some courtesans, all with the same retinue, visit the church, thereby causing protests from the local population and city authorities.

While in the temple, they continue to behave as if nothing had happened, hugging, giggling with gentlemen, shouting obscenities and using inappropriate gestures, as if this is not a church, but a carnival procession.

In Venice, for example, prostitutes could not visit churches and other holy places, at least during religious ceremonies and processions.

But not all courtesans behaved in this way, some of them modestly prayed in church, away from honest women, fasted on Saturdays, and ended their day with prayer.

Afternoon

The courtesan dined, usually alone or in a close family circle. As a rule, lunch was modest and quick. Then came the time of visits, in this case, the woman herself visited one of the noble nobles, although much more often she received them in her house. The position of the guests changes, depending on the position of the courtesan in high society.

Some of them attracted more young people, then young people could often be seen in their house, while others were interested in older lovers, in this case they were the ones who entered her house. There were courtesans for every taste, for employees of the papal office, for merchants, for the military, etc.

Only the salons of famous courtesans, such as Imperia, Madrema-non-vuole, Tullia, d "Aragona, Gaspara Stampa, Veronica Franco and some others, visited famous artists, poets, representatives of local authorities and foreign nobles. With the exception of important guests, whom the courtesan received in a separate boudoir, everyone else was invited to the common salon.
Madrema-non-vuole loved to sit on a high throne, seating those present on soft pillows at her feet. The guests were interspersed with courtesans, who periodically changed places, smiling and giving promising glances and kisses. In order to arouse jealousy among her admirers, the mistress of the house often retired for a short time with one of the guests to her bedroom.

In the higher salons much was said about literature, poetry and art. Imperia herself read books in Latin and composed poetry. Madrema-non-vuole was so versed in the art of communication that she was compared to Cicerone, she knew by heart all Petrarca and Boccaccio and a huge number of verses in Latin. Gaspara Stampa and Veronica Franco were recognized in Venice as talented poets. Visitors to such salons left references to courtesans in their literary works.

Nightlife

During the Renaissance, there were quite a few public entertainments, usually carnival or religious processions, sometimes holidays in honor of distinguished guests. Young and educated people had little desire to spend dreary evenings in the family circle with wives who could not connect two words.

Such monotony becomes a real manna for courtesans, their salons are full of those who want to have fun. After dinner, there were usually games or dances, not always innocent, as evidenced by some Venetian decrees prohibiting such entertainment.

Gambling was a real passion, both among the poor and the upper classes. The game of chess and cards was very popular, sometimes fights between players lasted for days. Often, courtesans skillfully controlled the course of gambling, cheating their guests and shamelessly pulling money from them. In 1540, an underground gambling house was opened in the house of two Roman courtesans, which was visited by prominent nobles and even noble women.

Dinner in the courtesan's house, usually paid for by her lovers, consisted of five courses, but sometimes reached twenty. Expensive wines were served on the table, different varieties wild-growing and garden lettuce, a huge amount of game. On this occasion, the shooting of pheasants and other wild birds, but as often happens, the law remained only on paper. In Venice, the use of: partridges, pheasants, peacocks, pigeons, wild roosters, oysters, champignon mushrooms and marzipan was prohibited.

Over dinner, games and dancing, the evening dragged on. When all the guests began to disperse, but the courtesan's day did not end there, she still had to satisfy the desire of her lover or the one to whom she promised to spend the night of love in her arms.

The art of pulling money

Admirers who visited the courtesan's house were a very important source of money for her, but even more income was brought by the so-called accredited lovers or contenders for this title. To extract money, the courtesans resorted to a variety of tricks. Here are some of them.

The courtesan left the bedroom every night under the pretext of insomnia, leaving the jealous lover alone. Then, with the assistance of assistants, she bought partridges and pheasants, and one fine day, during lunch, together with her patron, a dummy messenger suddenly appeared with gifts from the Spanish ambassador (pheasants and partridges). The courtesan began to refuse unsolicited gifts, the messenger insisted on his own. The lover burned with jealousy.

Then, during dinner, young people with swords (accomplices of the mistress of the house) appeared at the door and, explaining themselves in broken Spanish, announced that the Spanish ambassador himself would arrive on a visit. They demanded to open the gate. The courtesan begged to be left alone, swearing eternal love to his lover, who is present with all this comedy. Uninvited guests threatened to kill the happy owner of a faithful and loving woman. In the soul of the lover, jealousy was mixed with fear and joy that he was preferred to the Spanish ambassador himself. The result of the performance - the lover doubled his daily offerings.

Another classic example was that the courtesan began to pretend to be sick. In the presence of her patron, she seemed to lose her appetite, she felt sick, dizziness appeared, and when she was left alone, she ate for two. Finally, the courtesan's mother "discovered" that the young woman was pregnant, and the corrupt doctor confirmed the diagnosis. A happy lover, who had long dreamed of a child, began to look for godparents, a nurse and everything necessary for a newborn. The future father himself feeds his mistress with a spoon, helps to sit down and get up, falls asleep with gifts. This continues until now, until the courtesan decides to finish the comedy, then she pretends to have fallen, and the poor lover is brought in a jar of warm water lamb embryo.

Courtesans easily rob young people to the skin, who often end up in prison because of debts, and old impotents agree to pay for endless dinners and banquets, content only with light caresses of priestesses of love.

The victims of the courtesans were not only their fans and patrons, but also local craftsmen and merchants, especially if they were not in a conspiracy with prostitutes and did not deceive negligent lovers in turn.

Venereal diseases

One of the most dangerous venereal diseases of that time was syphilis, which spread throughout Europe in just a few years, without distinguishing between the lower and upper classes. Prostitution further contributed to this phenomenon. In Italy, this disease was called french disease- mal francese, and in Spain and France, Neapolitan disease - mal napoletano.

The first foci of syphilis appear in Naples in 1495, after the arrival of the French army there. The symptoms of the then unknown disease resemble the plague, this contributes to even greater confusion, from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century, syphilis takes countless victims with it.

The first victims of syphilis are courtesans, they are also the main distributors of a dangerous disease. Unlike patients from wealthy respected families who have the opportunity to resort to the treatment of famous doctors or simply leave the high society, hiding from prying eyes in their luxurious palaces, prostitutes are sentenced to severe physical and moral suffering. Sick courtesans are completely excluded from public life, they are doomed to the loss of all customers and complete ruin.

Due to the wide scale of the disease, thanks to the donations and mercy of the city authorities and wealthy members of society, the first shelters for syphilis patients are opened. So, in 1522 in Venice, under the supervision of two ladies from high society and the support of the Doge, the Hospital for the terminally ill was opened - l "Ospedale degli Incurabili, with 80 beds. This, of course, is a drop in the ocean, so a huge number of patients can be seen around city, on the roadsides, on the steps of churches.

Before sinking to such a state, courtesans try in every possible way to disguise their illness in order to continue a profitable craft. Not being able to turn to doctors, these women often resort to the help of all kinds of charlatans who offer "miraculous" remedies for the disease. First of all, these are expensive aromatic essences that soften the smell of the disease (abscesses, pus, etc.), but have nothing to do with the treatment of syphilis.

Mercury-based detergents are very popular among courtesans. But since the dosage of mercury was chosen by eye, without medical supervision, such shampoos did more harm than good, not to mention their high cost. In connection with the uncontrolled use of mercury, which eliminated the primary signs of the disease, undesirable side effects often appeared, such as loss of hair and teeth.

Some courtesans who use expensive medicine brought from America in 1515-1520 manage to avoid a similar fate. This is a decoction of the so-called holy tree, crosses from this wood are sold as miraculous. In 1530, the disease begins to decline, although the courtesans will continue to suffer in suffering for a long time, still deceived by charlatans and impromptu doctors.

Courtesans and religion

Courtesans were not allowed to be in the church with ladies from decent families, separate places were allocated for prostitutes, and, starting from the 16th century, separate services were held.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the monastery of Santa Caterina di Cordai was opened, where they sent, sometimes by force, the daughters of courtesans at the age of eight to twelve, where they were taught for seven years Christian doctrine. Then the girls could get married or become nuns, it should be noted that the dowry for those who decided to devote themselves to the church was twice as much as for those wishing to marry.

The courtesans themselves are not forgotten, in order to convert them to Christianity, a monastery was also opened, but since there are not so many prostitutes who want it, the monastery begins to accept newlywed wives who are allowed to leave their husbands for any reason. In 1563, Pope Pio IV opens another monastery, for the same courtesans who converted to the Catholic faith. They could stay there until they got married or took the vow of nuns.

In 1556, 82 conversions to Catholicism were registered among the courtesans, however, many women were not at all going to become nuns, they preferred to get married as soon as possible, often this was just an excuse to continue their former craft. Who married former courtesans? Usually these were the poor who coveted a dowry or prisoners who, according to ancient custom, received complete freedom by marrying a courtesan.

Often, parents sent their daughters to a monastery in order to preserve an inheritance for their son or to collect a rich dowry for eldest daughter. Such girls entered there without desire and were very far from God. And if we add the courtesans who became nuns, but did not forget their previous activities, then one can only imagine what sometimes happened in these holy places.

But, as everyone knows, the fish goes out from the head, so the church hierarchy itself was not without sin and often set negative examples, as evidenced by the events in Venice, or rather in the delle Convertite monastery, a description of which has come down to our days in a letter from 1551.

The letter says that the confessor of the monastery, for 19 years, satisfied his sexual needs with 400 nuns, almost all of them were beautiful and young girls. Having learned at confession secret desires, thoughts and sinful impulses, he punished and subjugated all the nuns there to his will. If any girl became pregnant, he personally saw to it that an abortion was performed and that the fruit of sinful love was destroyed. In the summer, the priest forced the most beautiful nuns to strip naked and bathe in his presence. In addition, he appropriated all church money. After the denunciations of the runaway nuns, the confessor was exposed and sentenced to death. They cut off his head and burned his body.

Courtesans in Rome

After the Medici were expelled from Florence in 1494, thanks to the patronage of Pope Alessandro VI Borgia and his followers Pope Giulio II (1503 - 1513) and Pope Leone X (1513 - 1521), Rome becomes the most brilliant center of the Italian Renaissance period.

Not only painters and sculptors of the time, such as Michelangelo, Raffaello and, for a while, Leonardo da Vinci, aspire to the Eternal City, but also numerous characters from all over the peninsula, in pursuit of the splendor of Roman life. Among them are intellectuals from all over Europe, aristocrats and philistines from the provinces, hungry for fame, entertainment and circuses.

Every cardinal, and especially every pope, immediately after his election, brought along a whole crowd of relatives and servants who lived exclusively at the expense of their master. Papa Leone X, according to the testimony of that time, broke all records, he surrounded himself with a "family" consisting of 700 people.

In this regard, in Rome, the male population far exceeds the female population and is about 60% of total townspeople. Many unmarried men live in Rome, among them representatives of the aristocracy, who bought important posts in the papal office at a high price. Here are merchants and bankers connected with the same office, purveyors to the papal army, who, if they were married, kept their wives at a very distant distance. If we add artists, actors, military, all kinds of envoys and ambassadors, then the picture becomes even more complete.

Naturally, all this contributed to the rapid spread of prostitution. Already in 1490, about 6,800 courtesans worked in Rome, not counting concubines and prostitutes from underground brothels. According to the census conducted in 1526 in the Eternal City, there were 4900 courtesans for 55,035 inhabitants. Based on these data, it can be assumed that 10% of the city's population was engaged in this craft.

Thus, Rome during the Renaissance was not only the capital of the Christian world, but also the capital of prostitution. A census of the city's population in 1490 was carried out in connection with the dissolute lifestyle of priests and employees of the papal office, since rarely one of them did not have a courtesan or concubine in his house.

From the middle of the 16th century, the religious authorities decided to renew the good name of the city and return to it the title of the capital of Christianity. Therefore, in 1549 a law was passed prohibiting prostitutes from living in certain quarters, in 1556 a new decree was issued prohibiting Roman courtesans from visiting church in the presence of honest townswomen. Prostitutes can no longer drive up to the church in a carriage and listen to a prayer service in male society. Often courtesans, thanks to connections in the highest church circles, easily circumvented all these prohibitions.

With the advent of Pope Pio V, the laws become even stricter, every day more and more new courtesans are expelled from the city. The townspeople begin to protest, then, going towards the population, the Pope allows the remaining prostitutes to settle down on the outskirts of the city, away from the rich quarters.

In any case, the persecution of courtesans does not end there, new dad Sisto V continues the work of its predecessor. He orders Roman prostitutes to move to a quarter specially designated for them, but since the number of courtesans is about 15,000, there is not enough room for everyone. In 1566, many creditors of prostitutes fail, housing prices jump up. In December 1585, the Gostardi-Ceuli bank declared itself insolvent. Gostardi-Ceuli administered the money of many Roman courtesans who were forced to leave the city, they withdrew their investments, thus causing an irreparable blow to the bank.

Despite the fact that the courtesans were isolated in the ghetto, despite all the decrees and prohibitions, prostitution in Rome continued to flourish, albeit in a more hidden form. During the Great Jubilee of 1600, papal laws are carried out with greater rigor and zeal, but then everything falls into place again.

Courtesans in Venice

For Renaissance Venice, prostitution is nothing new. The Republic of Venice is full of luxury, which undoubtedly attracts courtesans of all classes, from the lowest to highly educated persons, who, just like in Rome, open their famous salons here. They are visited with pleasure not only by the local nobility, but also by travelers who have come to admire this unique city.

The male population of Venice far outnumbers the female population. Moreover, noble ladies do not participate in cultural life cities, and only occasionally accompany their husbands during solemn ceremonies and holidays, when the Senate allowed them to appear before society in all their glory, usually such outfits were prohibited.

In 1498, after 150 years of forced residence in the Castelletto (not far from Rialto) specially designated for them, prostitutes are finally free to move around the city. In the XVI century, their number, as well as in Rome, is 10% of the total population. One Venetian, returning to his homeland, after a long stay abroad, says: "Venice has become a real brothel."

But, compared with Rome, Venice was distinguished by its independence and freer views. Even the inquisitors, chosen by the city Senate, tried to tame rather than encourage the strictness of the representatives of the Roman catholic church. Naturally, the existence of courtesans in Venice was much calmer than anywhere else.

But this did not mean at all that the Venetian rulers did not care about public morality, they simply tried to keep this phenomenon under control, without abusing the granted power, without equating courtesans with universal evil and sin. The Venetian authorities tried to protect the courtesans from inveterate deceivers and pimps, therefore, at the beginning of the 16th century, all intermediaries of prostitutes and rufyans were required to wear clothes yellow color for public recognition. In 1518, a decree was issued on their expulsion from the city within three days.

It cannot be concluded from this that the Senate of the Venetian Republic promoted the courtesans, it only comprehensively prevented the use of prostitution by third parties, punished the incitement to prostitution, in any form, especially for children. For greater clarity, anyone who had anything to do with prostitution was forbidden to have underage servants. Parents or relatives who sold their children to learn an ancient profession were severely punished, their behavior was equated with gang rape. The young victim received a dowry from the authorities, in accordance with his rank or with the level of position of the perpetrator.

Venetian courtesans were forbidden to live in the palaces located on the Canal Grande and attend religious ceremonies. Prostitutes, as well as in Rome, were forbidden to have any relationship with Jews, Muslims and all infidels. So, in 1507, three women were whipped in a public square for sleeping with Turks. But, despite the above facts, the life of the Venetian courtesans was undoubtedly easier than that of their Roman counterparts. And although prostitutes often had to resort to all sorts of tricks and tricks, in general, an atmosphere of tolerance reigned in the lagoon.

June 18th, 2015 , 10:03 pm

Good day.

Today, after a short break, I propose to plunge into the history of sexual relations again.

In a letter from the 18th century that has come down to us, a French traveler tells his friend with amazement that “ Italian courtesans wear little panties under their skirts". It is significant that this item of clothing is found precisely among courtesans - pantaloons were considered extremely indecent for a long time, as they meant the usurpation of a male item of clothing.

Who are they? We know a lot from films and books, here's a little more about "honest" and "dishonest" courtesans and their way of life and clothes.

In the 15th century, it was common in Italy aesthetic prostitution , which, according to the Earl, represented a rebirth. Prostitutes of this class, unlike ordinary ones, were called " meretrices honestae ". They were generally highly educated and moved in the highest spheres of society: among artists, dignitaries, princes, etc.

At Count we find the following description of some of them: the famous Empire learned the art of writing poetry Nicolo Compono, surnamed " Lo Strascino and was fluent in Latin. Lucrezia, nicknamed " Madrema non vuote", could serve as a model of correct and elegant language, and Aretino speaks of her through the mouth of a famous life-saver Ludovico in one of his Regionamenti the following: " She could be called Cicero: she knows by heart everything Petrarch and Boccaccio and a lot of poems from Virgil, Horace, Ovid and many other authors". Lucrezia Squarcia, originally a Venetian, which is mentioned in the famous Tariffa, could often be seen at festivities with essays Petrarch, Virgil And Homer in hand.

Names Tullia d'Aragona And Veronica Franco known in the history of literature, and Camille Pizana wrote a book that I edited Francis del Nero. Her letters that have come down to us are distinguished by a slightly pretentious style, but are not without grace; they contain many Latinisms and even entire Latin expressions. Speaking of famous Isabella de Luna, a Spanish woman who traveled half the world, Bandello notices that she was considered the most intelligent and dexterous woman in Rome. Aristocrats and writers not only did not hide their connections with the most famous courtesans, but even boasted about them, and each sought to get more attention from them than his rivals. famous commander Giovanni Medici ordered to forcibly take Lucretia ("Madrema non voule") from Giovanni del Stufa who gave in honor of her feast in Recanati. In 1531, six knights in Florence challenged anyone who did not want to recognize Tullia d'Aragona the most respectable and admirable woman in the world.

"Courtesan" - image of Tullia d'Aragona by Alessandro Moretto (1498−1554)

Courtesans fell into two main categories. The first included the so-called honest "Courtesans - cortigiane "oneste" . Their main characteristic was that they were supported by one or more wealthy patrons, usually from the upper class. The "honest" courtesan had her own certain independence, and had freedom of movement. She is trained in the rules of good behavior, knows how to conduct a table conversation, and sometimes is the owner of a high culture and literary talent.

In addition to cultural communication, they performed their direct duties as a prostitute and received a privileged social status. Cortegiana, hoc est meretrix honesta (cortigiana, ovvero prostituta onesta) or "honest" courtesan. Honesty in this case has nothing to do with chastity, which means bourgeois way of life, culture and good manners.

Representatives of the nobility openly kept beautiful courtesans, just as they kept rare, precious animals. They rent houses for them or put their house at their disposal, surround them with servants, horses, carriages, buy them luxurious dresses, jewelry, etc., turn their house into a brilliant luxury item. Here they are quite openly, bring their friends here, arrange common festivities. Connections with a courtesan, insane spending of money on her, are even one of the ways to defiantly flaunt one's wealth. Such kept women of the nobility, cardinals and prelates were called in Italy - in contrast to ordinary meretrices - courtisanae honestae .

GEORGION. "Portrait of a Young Woman (Laura)". 1506 Oil painting, 41x34 cm. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Especially the rich kept entire harems with one, two and three courtesans. We know this mainly about the wealthy aristocracy of Italy and partly of France. In Italy, famous, noble courtesans lived mainly in Florence, Venice and Rome - in those three centers where waves of gold flowed from all sides of Italy. In Florence reigned the greatest splendor, in Venice - the greatest wealth, in Rome indulged exclusively in voluptuousness and pleasure.

Tiziano Vecellio. "Violante (La Bella Gatta)". 1514 Oil painting, 65x51 cm. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Sometimes several friends together covered the costs of maintaining the courtesans. When one of the gentlemen was fed up with his lady, he simply passed her to a friend.

Next to such courtesans, kept by one person or a whole circle, arose in the Renaissance, as once in ancient world, a similar historical and economic situation. It led, of course, to similar consequences - a type of first-class cocotte, la grande Cocotte, la grande Puttana , a type of hetaera, who earned so much with her beauty and sophistication that she could free herself from economic dependence, turning from a slave into a mistress, who was courted by the richest and most powerful people.

CARPACCIO Vittore. "Two Venetian Ladies". 1510 Oil on wood, 94x64 cm. Museo Correr, Venice

Venetian courtesans

In Venice alone, there were, according to the words Montaigne, one and a half hundred first-class courtesans who competed in the sense of brilliance and luxury with the princesses. Experienced in love, the courtesan numbered among her clients the highest noble and intellectual aristocracy of the second half of the 16th century. Her bedroom was a kind of first-class hotel at the busiest crossroads in Europe, linking Rome with the East. A motley string of princes and kings stayed in it, sometimes paying a huge fortune for one night of love. Their characteristic representative, and, moreover, the most famous, was the Venetian Veronica Franco.

Veronica Franco, famous Venetian poet and courtesan. Portrait of Paolo Veronese.

Veronica was a friend of the great Tintoretto and received in her salon the most famous writers and artists of Italy, as well as those French and German who traveled to Italy. It was not without reason that they said about her: If this new Aspasia changed her place of residence, then her move was like the move of a queen, and the messengers spread the news of her departure and arrival..
For the sake of glory, more than one aristocrat went bankrupt to support the famous and expensive courtesan. For the sake of possessing such a famous courtesan, people risked not only their fortune, but also their lives.

Since the eminent courtesan was proclaimed by the epoch as the most precious luxury item, the most desirable object of pleasure, she necessarily had to flaunt all those values that then increased the importance of a person. And these values were primarily the arts and sciences.

At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, an unusual decree was issued in Venice, which stated that prostitutes living in special quarters were required to sit in front of windows, hanging out their legs and exposing their breasts in order to attract men more strongly, thereby protecting them from homosexual connections. A document that has come down to our time confirms that in the Venetian Republic of the 15th-16th centuries, the spread of homosexuality assumed too great a scale, especially among intellectuals and religious figures, so that many prostitutes were left without their inveterate clients.

Prostitutes received payment from passing foreigners, then invested in local banks (the courtesans were favorite clients of banks), thereby encouraging the local economy.

The clothes of "honest" courtesans were so similar to the outfits of the ladies of high society that it was difficult to determine who was who. Therefore, in Florence, a medieval law was reintroduced, obliging courtesans to use identification marks, the law also applied to Jews and lepers. In 1546 Cosimo I orders prostitutes to cover their faces with a yellow veil or attach to their clothes (in a conspicuous place) a yellow bow, the width of a finger. In 1562, the veil is replaced by a beret.

The toilets of the courtesans were luxurious - they were in no way inferior to noble ladies. In turn, in terms of the degree of openness of the neckline, noble ladies did not lag behind the courtesans, they even came to the temple with practically bare breasts, the neckline ended under it, and the nipples were "shamefully" covered with a transparent cloth or mesh:

VERONESE Paolo. "The family of Darius before Alexander" (detail). 1565-1570 Oil painting. National Gallery, London

An English traveler passing through Venice describes married women seen in the city. He writes that ladies' dresses front and back, reinforced with whalebone. The blond hair of the Venetians is styled in thick braids over the head in the form of peculiar horns, without any support, behind, a black veil falls on the shoulders, covering neither the hair, nor the shoulders, nor the breasts, which are open almost to the stomach. Women seem to be taller than men, because they wear shoes on a very high platform (50 cm), so two maids walk next to the mistress, the lady leans on one when walking, the other carries her train. Young and old ladies move with an unsteady gait, showing their bare breasts to everyone they meet.

Courtesans in Rome or "dishonest" courtesans

After Medici in 1494 they were expelled from Florence, thanks to the patronage of the Pope Alessandro VI Borgia and his followers Popes Giulio II(1503 - 1513) and Popes Leon X(1513 - 1521), Rome becomes the most brilliant center of the Italian Renaissance period.

Not only artists and sculptors of that time, such as Michelangelo, Raffaello and for a while Leonardo da Vinci, but also numerous characters from all over the peninsula, in pursuit of the splendor of Roman life. Among them are intellectuals from all over Europe, aristocrats and philistines from the provinces, hungry for fame, entertainment and circuses.

In this regard, in Rome, the male population far exceeds the female and makes up about 60% of the total number of citizens. Many unmarried men live in Rome, among them representatives of the aristocracy, who bought important posts in the papal office at a high price. Here are merchants and bankers connected with the same office, purveyors to the papal army, who, if they were married, kept their wives at a very distant distance. If we add artists, actors, military, all kinds of envoys and ambassadors, then the picture becomes even more complete.

Roman courtesan

From the middle of the 16th century, the religious authorities decided to renew the good name of the city and return to it the title of the capital of Christianity. Therefore, in 1549 a law was passed prohibiting prostitutes from living in certain quarters, in 1556 a new decree was issued prohibiting Roman courtesans from visiting church in the presence of honest townswomen. Prostitutes can no longer drive up to the church in a carriage and listen to a prayer service in a male society. Often courtesans, thanks to connections in the highest church circles, easily circumvented all these prohibitions.

With the coming of the Pope Pio V the laws become even stricter, every day more and more courtesans are expelled from the city. The townspeople begin to protest, then, going towards the population, the Pope allows the remaining prostitutes to settle down on the outskirts of the city, away from the rich quarters.

In any case, the persecution of courtesans does not end there, the new Pope Sisto V continues the work of his predecessor. He orders Roman prostitutes to move to a quarter specially designated for them, but since the number of courtesans is about 15,000, there is not enough room for everyone. In 1566, many creditors of prostitutes fail, housing prices jump up. In December 1585, the Gostardi-Ceuli bank declared itself insolvent. Gostardi-Ceuli administered the money of many Roman courtesans who were forced to leave the city, they withdrew their investments, thus causing an irreparable blow to the bank.

Venereal diseases

One of the most dangerous venereal diseases of that time was syphilis, which spread throughout Europe in just a few years, without distinguishing between the lower and upper classes. Prostitution further contributed to this phenomenon. In Italy, this disease was called french disease - mal francese , and in Spain and France, Neapolitan disease - mal napoletano .

Due to the wide scale of the disease, thanks to the donations and mercy of the city authorities and wealthy members of society, the first shelters for syphilis patients are opened. So, in 1522 in Venice, under the supervision of two ladies from high society and with the support of the Doge, a Hospital for the terminally ill was opened - l "Ospedale degli Incurabili, for 80 seats. This, of course, is a drop in the bucket, so a huge number of patients can be seen throughout the city, on the roadsides, on the steps of churches.

"Portrait of a Young Woman". 1540s, Venice

Courtesans and religion

Courtesans were not allowed to be in the church with ladies from decent families, separate places were allocated for prostitutes, and, starting from the 16th century, separate services were held.

At the beginning of the 16th century, a monastery was opened Santa Caterina di Cordai, where the daughters of courtesans at the age of eight to twelve were sent, sometimes by force, where they were taught Christian doctrine for seven years. Then the girls could get married or become nuns, it should be noted that the dowry for those who decided to devote themselves to the church was twice as much as for those wishing to marry.

Often, parents sent their daughters to the monastery in order to save an inheritance for their son or collect a rich dowry for their eldest daughter. Such girls entered there without desire and were very far from God. And if we add the courtesans who became nuns, but did not forget their previous activities, then one can only imagine what sometimes happened in these holy places.

But, as everyone knows, the fish goes out from the head, so the church hierarchy itself was not without sin and often set negative examples, as evidenced by the events in Venice, or rather in the monastery delle Convertite, the description of which has survived to this day in a letter dated 1551.

Marquise Paiva- a woman of mystery, favorite of the Parisian beau monde, hostess literary salon and ... perhaps one of the most famous courtesans XIX century. Jewish by birth, she was born in Moscow, her father was a simple tailor, and it seemed that a bleak future awaited the dowry. However, the girl quickly realized that with a pass to happy life will be a successful marriage. And indeed: most of her life she lived in a mansion on the Champs-Elysées, hosting French bohemians.

The real name of the girl is Esther Lashmann. Her parents were impoverished Jewish refugees from Silesia (a Polish region bordering Germany) who took refuge in Moscow. When the girl was 17 years old, she was married to Francois Villot, a Frenchman by birth. The guy was from poor family mastered the sewing business. In the marriage registration department, Esther was given a new name - Russian. Before changing her surname to Viyo, she became Esther Borisovna Lahman. By the way, the husband's surname became the only benefit for the newly-made "Frenchwoman". Family life did not long seduce Esther; soon after giving birth, she ran away from her betrothed, leaving him with her baby to the mercy of fate. She herself went to seek her fortune in Paris. For greater fidelity, she called herself a widow and changed her name to Teresa.

In Paris, she huddles in the poorest quarter, but tries her best to get to social events. By hook or by crook, she meets the musician Henri Hertz. Teresa sincerely admires his playing, and the pianist's heart melts. Despite the raging passions, their union turns out to be fleeting: while Henri was in America during the next tour, his family insisted that his mistress leave their house immediately. Apparently, the rumors about her true origin did not hide from the relatives of the famous musician. During her life with Henri Teresa managed to get acquainted with the best composers era - Liszt and Wagner, she also became close to Theophile Gauthier. And suddenly all her hopes collapsed in an instant, she had to urgently leave for England.

In London, Teresa acted according to an already well-established scheme: this time she won the heart of Lord Stanley, who held the chair of Prime Minister three times in the history of Great Britain. The novel was bright, but the lord turned out to be married, and was not going to get divorced. Then Teresa went on vacation to Baden, where she met Marquis Albino Paiva while playing in the casino. He was young and single, and in order to capture his attention from the very first minute, Esther-Teresa introduces herself under the name of Pauline Villot. She was almost 7 years older than her new chosen one and quickly fooled him, promising that after the wedding she would reveal to him all the secrets of love pleasures. If you believe the rumor, Paiva never fully enjoyed the promised reward: on the night after the wedding, the newly-marquise Paiva confessed to a cold calculation and soon broke up with her next husband.

The courtesan was able to really get rich during the years of her last marriage, this time she went down the aisle with Count Donnesmarck from Germany. It was this man who made Esther's dream of a mansion on the Champs Elysees a reality, he turned her life into a fairy tale. Political events prevented family happiness: during the imminent Franco-Prussian War, the couple was accused of espionage, and they had to leave France. Nervous experiences crippled the health of Countess von Donnersmarck, and she died of a heart attack at the age of 64. According to the legends, the inconsolable widower embalmed the body of his dead wife and spent nights by his side for several more years.

In the 19th century, courtesans were not only not shy, but were even proud of their position in society. For example, Cora Pearl went down in history as a courtesan,.

The beautiful era is called the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, a time of luxury, serenity, great discoveries. Nothing foreshadowed the coming world wars, people enjoyed life. This time had its stars. The role that supermodels now play in society was performed by famous courtesans. Newspapers reported on their every step, their images were used in advertising. Women condemned them and dreamed of being like them, men fell in love with them. The most famous were La Belle Otero, Liane de Pougy and Emiliena d'Alençon.

Beautiful gypsy

Carolina Otero has gone down in history as the Beautiful Otero. She was born into a poor Spanish family. At the age of 10 she was raped, and at 12 the girl began to dance for money in various cafes and brothels. Later she went to dance in Lisbon, where she began to study acting. At the age of 20, she already had her own impresario, and a year later, in 1889, she made a splash on the Parisian scene, becoming the star of the most popular variety show "Folies-Bergere".

She introduced herself to her new acquaintances as a gypsy from Andalusia. This exotic image inspired many artists of that time. She was painted, in particular, by Vrubel. Contemporaries recalled that one glance of her huge black eyes made men numb. Others noted Carolina's slender waist and beautiful breasts. According to legend, the architect who built the Carlton Hotel in Cannes made the domes in the shape of Otero's breasts.

The Spanish courtesan very quickly gained the status of the most desirable woman in all of Europe. Her lovers were royalty from different countries: England, Spain, Serbia and Monaco. The writer Gabriel d'Anunzio and the Duke of Westminster, the Grand Russian Duke Peter and Emperor Nicholas II could not resist her beauty (they describe the case of how Otero was served on a silver platter "for dessert" in a closed club at a dinner in honor of Nicholas II).

Each lover gave her jewelry or houses, castles. Many men died because of her beauty. Some of them fought duels, others took their own lives, not having achieved her favor.

The official husbands of the Beautiful Otero were the Italian Count Giuglelmo, with whom she shared a marriage bed at the age of 14, and Rene Webb, an English industrialist who married her in 1906.

Emiliena has an interesting relationship history with Coco. Once, while visiting Balsan, Coco tried on the clothes of the famous courtesan. And she drowned in folds: the fashion designer was thin, and Emiliena was lush, like all the beauties of the Belle Epoque. Rumor has it, after that, an irritated Chanel decided to sew clothes only for people like herself, and made every effort to make the fullness go out of fashion. So it is possible that modern fashion on thin people - a consequence of the fact that Coco Chanel had to eliminate a complete rival.

At the same time, Chanel admired the charming Emilien. When she described to perfumer Ernest Beaux what she wanted from her new perfume, she described her impressions of d'Alençon. “She smells good, she smells clean,” Coco said at the time. Ernest created the scent that is sold today as Chanel No. 5. Chanel created one of her first hats especially for Emilienne.

d'Alençon officially retired from the stage in 1906. Her husband was jockey Percy Woodland.
She devoted herself to breeding racing horses, was very fond of horse racing. Alas, it was not a profitable business. Very soon, the family jewels and porcelain d'Alencon went under the hammer. She moved to Nice, where she died in 1946.

Between an angel and a demon

Once the Beautiful Otero came to one of the trendy restaurants, hung from head to toe with diamonds. A minute later, Liane de Pougy entered the hall, with a single but gigantic diamond adorning her neck. Behind her was a maid holding a velvet cushion with all of Liana's jewels attached to it. (As for Emilienne d'Alençon, she wore a Cartier corset, completely adorned with diamonds.)

Liana's real name is Anna Maria Chassaigne, she was born in the family of a naval officer in 1869. Subsequently, she received a good religious education in the monastery of Morbihan. When Anna Maria was 16 years old, she ran away with the military, to whom she soon gave birth to a son.

It soon became clear that family life was not going well: her husband beat her. And when he found Anna Maria in bed with another man, he tried to shoot her. She fled to Paris, leaving her young son behind. Later, she got divorced. In the capital, the young adventurer met the famous playwright Henri Meilhacom, who was fascinated by her beauty and helped her start her career as an actress in the Folies Bergère variety show.

Then she took the pseudonym Liana de Pugy - that's what one of her former boyfriends called her. Her mentor was the magnificent Sarah Bernhardt. Famous artists vied for the right to paint her portrait, and the famous photographer Nadar had the good fortune to photograph her.

Liana liked both men and women. She had affairs with the Marquise de Belbeuf and the writer Mathilde de Morny. The actress described her intimate relationship with the writer Natalie Barney in 1901 in the novel The Sapphic Idyll.
De Pougy was a frequent guest at the "Friday Night Salon" hosted by Natalie Barney. Rumors circulated in Paris that, in addition to reading poetry, they smoked opium and hashish at these evenings, arranged depraved dances and even orgies.
Pious townswomen tried many times to stop the outrage that was going on in this "nest of debauchery." They even made an attempt to set it on fire, but the stone house did not catch fire even after it was doused with kerosene. Another time, her fans defended Liana from the impending physical reprisal.

Vyacheslav Shpakovsky Anastasia Stezhka, 08/18/2013 at 14:00

Is the first oldest profession a decline in morals or a social order? In recent years, the activity of prostitution is associated with the penetration of Western mass culture and the priorities of hedonism on the cult of money. But do not forget that it is still at the turn XIX- XXFor centuries, a system has developed in Russia that denies the Christian interpretation of the relationship between a man and a woman.

Science supply and demand

In the era of universal capitalization, wage labor and market relations, all aspects of social life begin to regulate the mechanism of supply and demand. The system operates in this case directly: demand from men, supply - from women. There are two approaches to the phenomenon of the "market of love" in the literature. The first of them says that a woman is initially inclined to provide appropriate services and insisted on the existence of women who are genetically doomed to prostitution. Marxists and feminists, on the contrary, believed that it was commodity-money relations that underlay prostitution and pointed to the ubiquitous market exchange - indiscriminate exchange. In general, scientists agree on one thing, seeing the root of evil in the contradiction between the relatively evenly growing needs of members of society and unequal opportunities to satisfy them.

At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. against the backdrop of overpopulation of the Russian village and the deteriorating financial situation peasant families otkhodnichestvo for women began to gain momentum. Moreover, the more the proletarianization of the countryside manifested itself in one area or another, the more "victims of debauchery" it delivered to the center. Thousands of peasant women who fought for survival in the city became prostitutes. Naturally, the woman did not start selling herself from the station, according to some reports, only a little more than one percent of priestesses fell into the network of extensive agents of brothels. As a rule, the main part stepped on a slippery path in the conditions of the local labor market: as seamstresses, domestic servants being employed in the service sector.

The scarcity of earnings, the constant temptations of urban civilization were the main reasons that yesterday's peasant woman, getting into the city in search of happiness, became a ticket girl, a blank girl (a lone prostitute) or began to engage in prostitution from time to time, replenishing her budget.

prostitutes out of laziness

According to official statistics, in Russian Empire in 1889, more than 85 percent of the supervising prostitutes of St. Petersburg came from poor families, from wealthy - 8, from the rich - only one percent. On a national scale: 70 percent, 13.7 and 0.7, respectively.

Statistics also authoritatively record the direct dependence of prostitution on economic factors: prostitution fell with a reduction in unemployment, an increase in the wage rate and a reduction in the cost of basic necessities. There was also a situation when peasant women, during their trips to fairs in the city, earned money for themselves and their children for new clothes. Thus, prostitution began to be turned, as well as to a trade that guarantees a periodic but stable income.

Interesting in this regard is the observation of P. E. Oboznenko (member of the Russian Theosophical Society, 1908). IN late XIX centuries, about 40 percent of the girls who officially traded in debauchery went into prostitutes because of need, 18 percent - deliberately, "at will", 8 percent - because of "laziness", 7 - followed the example of their girlfriends. Questionnaires, conducted in 1910 among the representatives of the oldest of the professions who ended up in the St. Petersburg House of Mercy, gave the following results: 40 percent of the respondents became prostitutes because of laziness, 19 - considered this occupation easier than any other work, 20 more answered, that they simply like such a life and only 10 percent came into the profession out of necessity.

The data of the office of the Penza Governor's House are also interesting, which are full of petitions from unfortunate rural inhabitants for assistance in the return of prodigal wives, who from the very first year of marriage began to cheat on their husbands, and then completely went to live in brothels, although their spouses had enough money for decent family support. Thus, the second root of evil lies in the personality of the woman herself.

Prostitution due to wars and revolutions

The traditional model of family and marriage relations in Russia by the beginning of the 20th century was greatly transformed towards a decrease in the level of marriage, especially among the urban population. At the end of the 20th century, 11 percent of men and 12 percent of women who lived in cities remained unmarried. In the capital, this figure was even higher, respectively: 13-15 and 19-20 percent.

Scientists have noted another curious fact: during the great historical turns and social disasters, the level of prostitution increases dramatically. The years of the Russian-Japanese, the First World War and the revolution of 1905-1907 are indicative in this respect. During these years secret prostitution reigned - uncontrolled and unregistered. However, a fact is a fact: the mobilization and concentration of a huge number of men torn from their homes, the atmosphere of general hysteria and unbridledness did their job.

Along with the growth of the "black market" of love, the number of venereal patients also grew. Scary statistics M. Shiperovich quotes: in 1910, among 666 (even a diabolical number!) prostitutes of the capital under supervision, 33.7 percent were sick with syphilis, and in 1914 this figure was already 50 percent.

Free and secret "market of love"

IN tsarist Russia there were two forms of prostitution: officially recognized (legal, supervised) and secret, that is, neglected or "civilian". The first was under the control of the state and was subject to accounting, the second was creative and amateur in nature. However, the "black love market" covered all legal "houses of love" with its scale. According to the level of income and status in society, as well as in everything, a hierarchy was observed: the highest (aristocratic), the middle (philistine) and the lowest (panel). The prostitutes themselves were divided into "ticket" (staying in brothels, taking away their passports, and issuing a "yellow ticket" certificate) and "blank" or single - vagrant, apartment, in general, building their business on their own.

The beginning of state recognition and regulation of the activities of brothels was laid in 1843 by the Minister of the Interior, Count Perovsky, who wanted to eventually concentrate all prostitutes in brothels. The administrative apparatus aspired to this until 1917. And in 1844, even the "Rules for the maintenance of brothels" were published, which regulated down to the smallest detail the organization and rules of work of the latter, the behavior of their inhabitants in public places, etc.

In particular, in 1861 the location of brothels was regulated - no closer than 150 fathoms (about 300 m) from churches, colleges and schools.

From the Rules for the Keepers of Brothels, approved by the Minister of the Interior on May 29, 1844:

1. Brothels open only with the permission of the police.

2. Permission to open a brothel can only be obtained by a woman from 30 to 60 years old, trustworthy.

8. In the number of women in brothels, do not accept younger than 16 years old ...

22. It is forbidden for housekeepers on Sundays and holidays to receive visitors before the end of Mass, as well as on Holy Week.

23. Male minors, equally pupils educational institutions in no case be allowed in brothels.

The price of paying "for love"

At the end of XIX - beginning of XX centuries. there were three types of brothels: expensive brothels with fashionable furniture, parquet floors, mirrored walls and ceilings (women designed for wealthy clients also matched the interior), numerous and variable in decoration and price houses for middle-class consumers (petty officials, students, merchants middle class, cadets and junior officers) and miserable, cheap houses for the poor people (soldiers, vagabonds, workers, etc.).

Payment for sex services in such legal dens of debauchery varied significantly depending on the rank of the institution. For example, in fashionable establishments in Moscow and St. Petersburg, 3-5 rubles per session were charged from a visitor, 5-15 rubles per session. per night and 10-25 rubles. for servicing a client at home, while in the provinces the corresponding figures were 1-3 rubles, 1-5 rubles, 3-10 rubles.

Much more modest was the fee in the "average" brothels: from 1-2 rubles. "for time" up to 3-7 rubles. for home visits, in the provinces: from 0.5 rubles. up to 5 rubles In cheap brothels in megacities and the periphery, prostitutes charged from 20 to 50 kopecks for a single visit. Here, earnings were no longer based on quality, but on quantity: prostitutes had to serve up to 50 people per night, and on pre-holiday and holidays the influx of customers demanded a "double whammy". There has been no inflation for the listed services since the 1970s. XIX centuries

Expensive service or not?

Any services - be it sex or buying a chicken - are paid for with money and, accordingly, knowing the prices, we can say what was expensive and what was not. After the introduction of the gold rate of the ruble in 1897, a pound (400 g) of rye bread cost 3 kopecks, white - 10 kopecks; a pood of salt - 10 rubles; a pound of meat - 13 kopecks; 100 eggs - 2.8 rubles; a pood of cow butter - 11.6 rubles; a pound of tea - 2.8 rubles; a pood of sturgeon - 13 rubles.

However, as always, somewhere it was more expensive, somewhere cheaper. For example, in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov in 1905, for 50 kopecks, you could buy two chickens, five eggs and two round buns made from wheat flour! Accordingly, the salaries of the end of the 19th century were: for junior officers - 35 rubles, for teachers - 25, for a paramedic - 40, for a factory worker (on average) - 16 rubles.

Officers and "selling love"

But the uniform of an officer of the imperial army, by the way, which he purchased with his own money, was very expensive. Moreover, the state supplied him with uniforms for free only once - during production! Meanwhile, a uniform at the end of the 90s cost 65 rubles (more expensive in the cavalry): a frock coat - 32 rubles, a tunic - 25 rubles, boots - 20 rubles, a cap - 7 rubles, shoulder straps - 3 rubles. In addition, a lot of money had to be spent on all kinds of dinner parties, which burdened officer families.