The Memory of Maria Theresa’s Infamous Chastity Commission

• In Event: Evolving Social Norms and Public Life in Eastern and Central Europe from the 18th to 20th Century

Abstract

The so-called Chastity Commission or Keuschheitskommission was allegedly a special commission appointed to police the sexual activities of her subjects during Maria Theresa’s reign. It was apparently convened in 1752 and existed until the start of the nineteenth century. The Commission has left few traces in the archives, leading some conscientious historians to doubt whether it ever existed. The documents of the victim of the famous Zahlheim case are one of the few traces left about the Chastity Commission. In this paper, I focus on eighteenth and nineteenth century writings about the Chastity Commission to explore how this mode of sexual policing was remembered by its authors. In other words, how did the Chastity Commission shape the memories of authors who wrote about Maria Theresa’s reign?

Author

• Ambika Natarajan, Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (India)