The Evidence from Two Spanish Kingdoms: Why a "Mediterranean" Model of Clerical Concubinage Is Problematic

Throughout the kingdom of Castille-León and the Crown of Aragon, the practice of clerical concubinage was a custom entrenched in clerical society.  While the prevalence of clerical concubinage can also be found in Italy, the reasons why clerical unions flourished in Spain and Italy can be attributed to different factors, like clerical culture, ecclesiastical reforms, royal interference, and the Christian reconquest of al-Andalus.  In Spain, the reforms of the eleventh century arrived late to the region and the campaign for celibacy was not embraced by native-born ecclesiastical elites.  The sheer pervasiveness of clerical unions and the clergy’s resistance to celibacy resulted in the papacy making an exception for Spanish clerics. However, the reasons why the practice of clerical concubinage continued unabated into the late medieval period varies for both Spanish kingdoms.  The circumstances that allowed the clergy in Spain to continue to marry and live in domestic partnerships do not correspond to the situation in Italy.  While the prevalence of clerical unions may be greater in the Mediterranean than in Northern Europe, no uniform reason explains this trend.  Rather, regional politics and local clerical culture may be the key to explaining why clerical concubinage was more common and socially accepted in some areas and not in others.