Bullough V.L.

History in Adult Human Sexual Behavior with Children and Adolescents in Western Society

in: Feierman (ed.) Pedophilia: Bisocial Dimensions, Springer, New York, p.69-90 (1990)

Introduction

[...]

In fact, adult/adolescent sexual behavior has not simply been tolerated throughout much of history but, in some time periods, has been the norm. This attitude can be illustrated by a brief, descriptive listing of some famous or near-famous adult individuals in history who were involved in some form of sexual behavior with at least one adolescent or near-adolescent. 

St. Augustine 
Muhammed 
Mahatma Ghandi 
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 
George Gordon Byron 
Kinsey A.C. et. al. 

St. Augustine

A good example to begin with is St. Augustine [354-439], who, perhaps more than any one other individual, set the sexual standards for the Christian Church. Briefly, St. Augustine had converted to Manichaeanism as a young adult, and through he had striven for many years to become one of the Manichaean "Adepts", A person who among other things lived in chaste and celibate life, he had not been able to achieve this status. The difficulty was that though his spirit was willing, his flesh was weak, and Augustine, in spite of his belief system, was unwilling to give up sex, particularly with his mistress. He later reported that his constant prayer during this period of this live was "Give me chastity - but not yet" (Augustine, 1955, VII, vi, 17).

Unable to forego sexual activity, Augustine decided to avoid trying to be an Adept and to regularize his life by marrying. Once this decision was made, he sent his mistress and illegitimate son away and then set out to choose a bride. He selected a prepubertal girl, and since technically he could not marry her until she came of age (i.e., had her menarche), he was betroyed to her. Unable to give up sex even for this brief period, he took another mistress, and this act, among other things, brought on a personal crisis that led him to convert to Christianity and swear off sex for the rest of his life (Augustine, 1955, IV, ii, VI, xii, VII,i)

Obviously, Augustine was more than twice the age of his bride-to-be (Bullough and Brundage, 1983)

Muhammed 

A [...] figure illustrating the same theme is the prophet Muhammed [570-632], who has married his first wife, Khadijah, when she was around 40 years of age and he was 25. At her death, Muhammed seemed inconsolable, and his friends advised him to marry again so that he might more easily overcome his grief. 

Although reluctant to agree, the prophet eventually married Ayesha, a young prepubertal girl. It was said that just watching her play with her dolls proved to be a consolation to him. Most islamic authorities agree the marriage was not consummated until Ayesha began to menstruate, the traditionally acceptable time for intercourse, but there was still a marriage to a girl that many say was only 7 (Bullough, 1973)

Mahatma Ghandi 

Mahatma Ghandi [1869 - 1948] [...] was married at 13. Though he took a vow of sexual abstinence at 37, a vow that he found difficult to observe and that he once described as "walking on the sword's edge," this vow did not stop him from later fondling girls, both pubescent and prepubescent. 

In his later years, Ghandi took to taking such girls to bed with him to overcome his "shivering fits" in the night. His female companions, who came from his inner circle - all certified virgins or young brides - entered his bed naked in order to warm him with their bodies. Some of them also administered enemas to him. Among the young girls, there was a rivalry as to who would sleep with him, and one of his girl disciples reported that his bed companiong had a difficult time in restraining themselves and repressing their sexual impulses since he often rubbed against them and touched them (Bullough, 1981).

Though his disciples were fearful of public reaction if news of these "pedophiliac sexual" interactions was publicized, Ghandi continued to engage with them until his death. Here, there was no sexual intercourse, and most of the girls were postpubertal, but some were younger. In modern Western society, such activity would be a criminal offense. 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

I like boys a lot, but the girls are even nicer. If I tire of her as a girl, she'll play the boy for me as well. 

George Gordon Byron 

George Gordon Byron [1788-1824], or Lord Byron, was attached to Nicolo Giraud, a young French-Greek lad who had been a model for the painter Lusieri before Byron found him. Byron left him 7,000 pounds in his will. When Byron returned to Italy, he became involved with a number of boys in Venice but eventually settled on Loukas Chalandritsanos, age 15, who was with him when he was killed (Crompton, 1985) 

Kinsey A.C. et. al. 

Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female; Saunders, Philadelphia (1953)

24% [of his female subjects] had had prepubertal experiences ("prepubertal" being defined as "age 13 or under") in which an adult male has established sexual contacts with them or appeared to be making a sexual type of approach. 

The most frequent type of contact made by the male was that of showing his genital organs, which occurred in approximately 52% of the cases reporting contact with adults. 

In 31% of the cases, the adult patted the child in an intimate way but did not touch the sex organs, and in 22% of the cases, there was contact with the child's sex organs (The total is more than 100% because some had more than one contact.)

Approximately