Jus Primae Noctis: So What’s the Deal?

“green mountain under cloudy sky at daytime” by Henry Paul on Unsplash

The practice of jus primae noctis, or first night, is the right of the local noble to deflower local peasant brides on their wedding night before their newlywed husbands. It supposedly goes back for many thousands of years, reaching its crescendo during the Middle Ages in Europe.

Most of us are familiar with the concept of jus primae noctis thanks to the movie “Braveheart.” There’s that…