Sexo y amores en la vejez en la sociedad gallega del Antiguo Régimen

Abstract

The core purpose of this paper is to discuss the relevant topic - albeit timidly studied by early modem historiography - of sex and love among the elderly population, the core observatory being Galician society in the Modern Age, one of the areas in the Iberian Peninsula with the largest aging population, which enjoys undeniable social and economic power. Based on several indirect sources, our intent is to highlight that in Galicia of the Early Modern Age, not withstanding the apparent moral tolerance towards women between the age of 40 and 50, before the underlying danger and threat of their sexuality, manifestations of love among the elderly were, however, not widely accepted, and were actually the object of social reprimand.