How Was Adultery Punished in the Past?

Today, adultery is usually a reason for a breakup or divorce, or at most for long relationship arguments and therapy. In the past, however, it was seen as one of the gravest “crimes,” and in many societies it was punished with astonishing brutality. Adultery was believed to threaten not only marriage, but also a family’s honor, the “purity” of the bloodline, and property security—so the unfaithful were often viewed much like thieves or traitors.

Looking back through history, you can also see a clear double standard. Female infidelity was generally judged far more harshly than male infidelity, since a married woman was viewed as the guarantor of “legitimate” heirs. A man’s affairs were often tolerated as long as they did not infringe on another husband’s rights. Even so, there are many cases where society punished an unfaithful man harshly as well.

Below are 20 concrete historical examples—10 women and 10 men—that show just how far people were willing to go in “defending” marital fidelity.

Why adultery was punished so brutally in the past

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, marriage was not simply about love; above all, it was an institution meant to secure heirs, political alliances, and stable property. If a married woman had a child with another man, it could “swap” the line of inheritance and disrupt the entire system of landownership, titles, or wealth. For that reason, adultery was long understood almost as a special kind of theft—someone had laid hands on another man’s “property.”

Laws therefore often imposed punishment not only on the unfaithful wife but also on her lover. In many cultures, the offended husband or father could decide matters of life and death for both parties, or subject them to public humiliation or mutilation. This was meant to restore the family’s “honor” and to intimidate the wider community into thinking twice about similar behavior.

10 terrifying punishments for women’s adultery

1. Babylon: drowning in the river for adultery
   In ancient Babylon, an adulterous affair involving a married woman was considered a serious crime against the husband and the gods. Under King Hammurabi’s code, the unfaithful wife and her lover were to be punished by death by drowning in a river, though the husband could grant his wife mercy and thereby also save the lover. The river was understood as a divine judge—throwing the condemned into it was a ritual meant to entrust the verdict to a deity.
2. Mesopotamia’s “river ordeal” for a suspected wife
   In Mesopotamia, a woman could be punished not only when caught in adultery, but even on suspicion without witnesses. Laws recognized the so-called river ordeal: if the husband could not prove adultery, the woman could be forced to “jump into the river,” where it was assumed the deity would reveal the truth. Surviving meant vindication and the false accuser was to bear the blame, while failure was taken as proof of guilt. For a woman, it was a terrifying test ruled more by fear of divine wrath than trust in human justice.
3. Biblical stoning of an adulterous wife
   Hebrew laws in the Old Testament stipulated that both a man and a woman caught committing adultery were to be punished by death. Texts such as Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22–24 assume the death penalty, often interpreted as stoning—a method mentioned as typical in later rabbinic interpretations. A woman who broke marital fidelity thus risked not only social shame but also a collective execution in full view of the community.
4. “Bitter water”: a temple ritual for a suspected wife
   If a man suspected his wife of adultery but had no evidence or witnesses, biblical texts describe an unusual ritual known as the “ordeal of the bitter water.” The woman was brought to a priest and had to drink a special mixture accompanied by an oath; if she was guilty, she was to suffer divine punishment—illness or infertility. While this is not a classic court process but rather “handing” the case over to God, in practice it involved immense fear and shame and was reserved exclusively for women.
5. Cutting off the nose of an unfaithful woman in Byzantium and the Arab world
   In some periods of Byzantine and Arab history, a typical punishment for adultery was the cutting off of the nose. This penalty, known as rhinotomy, was meant to disfigure a woman permanently and also make remarriage impossible, since facial mutilation was seen as an irrevocable destruction of honor. Sources suggest that the male partner in adultery sometimes received only a beating or another milder punishment, while the woman bore lifelong consequences.
6. Medieval towns: a “shame run” for an adulterous wife
   In the later Middle Ages, several European towns used a punishment in which the unfaithful wife and her lover had to run through the streets—often in underwear or a thin garment. A town crier would loudly proclaim their guilt, and the crowd could beat them, throw mud, or hurl insults. The goal was not primarily physical killing, but maximum humiliation and a lifelong stigma that could extend to children and relatives.
7. Caught twice—drowned: early modern German towns
   Sources from early modern German towns mention cases in which a repeatedly caught adulterous woman was punished by drowning, while the male partner might be beheaded. Some municipal statutes included provisions that if a woman committed adultery twice, the second offense meant death by water. Even the threat of such punishment served as a harsh warning to women in unhappy marriages at a time when divorce was practically nonexistent.
8. Joseon Korea: the death penalty for female adultery
   During Korea’s Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), women generally had a lower social status, and an adulterous relationship could be punished more severely for women than for men. In the 16th century, the death penalty for female adultery was also introduced, and contemporary records describe executions of women who had affairs outside marriage. Interestingly, in some cases noblewomen were more likely to be expelled from court or sent into exile, while lower-status women could face physical elimination.
9. China’s “five punishments”: mutilation of women for sexual offenses
   In ancient and imperial China, there existed a system of the so-called Five Punishments, which included mutilating sanctions. For women, certain sexual offenses—including adultery—could be punished by a form known as gōngxing, involving severe mutilation of the genital organs. Such an act also served as a lifelong “shield of shame”: the woman was physically and socially removed from normal life.
10. Modern stoning of women for adultery
    Although extreme punishments for adultery may seem like a thing of the distant past, in some countries they have remained part of criminal law to this day. In Sudan or Afghanistan, cases have appeared in recent decades of women sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery, though international pressure has led to the overturning or mitigation of a number of verdicts. Laws based on the concept of zina in Islamic jurisprudence have traditionally prescribed the death penalty for married adulterers, even if the actual carrying out of such punishments is rare and often contested.

10 brutal punishments for men’s adultery

11. Babylon: drowning the lover along with the married woman
    In Babylonian law, not only the female partner in adultery was punished, but also the man who slept with her. If he was caught in an affair with a married woman, he faced the same threat of drowning in the river. The code assumed that if the husband granted his wife mercy, he could also save the lover—but if he insisted on punishment, both were handed over to the “judgment of the river.”
12. The biblical death penalty for the male adulterer as well
    The Old Testament clearly states that if a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both “the adulterer and the adulteress” are to be put to death. In the ideal legal model, the man who entered into a relationship with a married woman was also responsible, though historians note that in practice these rules were applied unevenly and men often escaped punishment. Still, it is one of the oldest legal texts in which a man’s adultery with someone else’s wife is defined as a capital crime.
13. Ancient Athens: the humiliating punishment of rhaphanidosis
    In classical Athens, comedies and some texts mention a punishment called rhaphanidosis, allegedly used on men who seduced another man’s wife. It consisted of an extremely humiliating corporal punishment in which the offender was sexually disgraced in public. Historians debate whether this punishment was actually commonly carried out or whether it was more of a literary hyperbole, but the very idea that society entertained such a penalty shows how cruel forms of retribution it could imagine for unfaithful men.
14. Roman law: loss of property and exile to an island
    Under Emperor Augustus, the Lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis turned adultery into a public crime. A man caught committing adultery with a married woman could lose up to half his property and face exile to an island, while the woman lost part of her dowry and property and likewise ended up in exile. The law also gave husbands and fathers the right to kill the lover if caught in flagrante, though these provisions were applied in limited fashion. For a man of higher status, it meant not only punishment but also a dramatic fall in social standing.
15. “Running the gauntlet”: a military punishment for sexual offenses
    In early modern Europe, especially in armies, a punishment known as running the gauntlet was used. A soldier convicted of a serious disciplinary offense—including sexual misconduct, often connected to adultery—had to run down a corridor of fellow soldiers who beat him with sticks or rods. This punishment was extremely painful and could even be fatal, but above all it was meant to serve as an exemplary lesson in front of the entire unit.
16. Second adultery—beheading: German municipal statutes
    Some early modern German towns stipulated that a man caught committing adultery might receive a lighter punishment for a first offense, but upon repetition he would be beheaded. Such laws reflected the idea of a “second chance,” after which society was no longer willing to tolerate further violations of marital fidelity. Death by sword was considered a “cleaner” and “more dignified” form of execution, but it was still a final end to life for behavior that today is handled by divorce lawyers.
17. China: castration as a punishment for adultery
    Within the system of Five Punishments in imperial China, a penalty called gong—castration—was reserved for men convicted of certain sexual crimes, including adultery and “debauched” conduct. The man lost the ability to father children and his male honor, and he was often also sentenced to service as a eunuch in the imperial palace. It was one of the most drastic punishments, combining physical pain, permanent health consequences, and total social stigma.
18. Islamic law: stoning of married men for zina
    Traditional Islamic law uses the term zina for unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery. Classical fiqh manuals state that a married man found guilty of zina may face the death penalty by stoning, while unmarried offenders are to be punished by flogging. In practice, however, the standard of proof is extremely strict—for example, requiring the testimony of four reliable male witnesses—which has meant that the number of documented legal executions is very small. Nevertheless, the very existence of such a punishment acts as a powerful deterrent for believers.
19. Modern states where men’s adultery is still criminalized
    Even in the 20th and 21st centuries, there have been—and still are—states where men’s adultery is a criminal offense, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment, flogging, or even the death penalty. In Sudan or Pakistan, legal provisions inspired by traditional Islamic jurisprudence were long very strict; the law did not distinguish between men and women, but in practice it often hit women harder. In the United Arab Emirates, until 2020, stoning was formally written into the law as a possible method of execution for adultery—applicable to convicted men as well—though in real-world executions other methods and other crime categories were more commonly used.
20. The queen’s lovers: executions of men accused of an affair with Anne Boleyn
    The English case of Anne Boleyn in the 16th century is among the best-known stories linking adultery and politics. When Henry VIII’s second wife was charged with adultery and conspiracy against the king, five men were tried alongside her, including her alleged lover Henry Norris and her own brother George Boleyn. All were found guilty of treason, which encompassed the adultery allegations, and were executed—some by beheading, others by hanging, drawing, and quartering. Even if the charges were politically motivated, the case shows that an affair involving someone in the royal circle could mean a swift and bloody death for men.

Video: How history punished women for adultery

For a visual look at some of the cruelest punishments history has recorded, you can also watch this video (in English), which summarizes various ways unfaithful women were punished in different periods:

The video shows how ideas of what counts as an “appropriate” punishment have changed over time—and it also highlights the strong double standard that often applied to men and women.

What these 20 cases tell us about society

Looking at these 20 cases, it is clear that punishing adultery was never only about two individuals. It was about controlling bodies and sexuality—especially women’s bodies—protecting property and inheritance, and maintaining social order. Where a woman was seen more as an object belonging to a family than as an independent person, punishments were more brutal and more lasting—from disfigurement to stoning.

At the same time, we can see that even extreme sanctions did not “erase” adultery. It existed despite the threat of death by water, stones, or castration, and a great deal of social energy was spent on punishment instead of addressing the causes—forced marriages, inequality, or domestic violence. Modern law therefore increasingly separates the moral problem of infidelity from criminal law, treating it more as grounds for divorce or property settlement than as a crime against the state. Even though adultery is still a painful wound in relationships, the fact that in most of the world it no longer brings physical torture or execution is a civilizational shift worth remembering.

Sources

1. Adultery – Adultery (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultery (Wikipedia)
2. Hammurabi’s Code – Early World Civilizations (OpenWA Pressbooks) – https://openwa.pressbooks.pub/mcleanworldcivilization/chapter/hammurabis-code/ (openwa.pressbooks.pub)
3. The Oldest Written Code – The Museum Journal (Penn Museum) – https://www.penn.museum/sites/journal/832/ (penn.museum)
4. Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22 – BibleGateway – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+20%3A10%2CDeuteronomy+22%3A24&version=NIV (BibleGateway)
5. Ordeal of the Bitter Water (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordeal_of_the_bitter_water (Wikipedia)
6. Rhinotomy – Amputation of the nose (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinotomy (Wikipedia)
7. Running Naked in the Streets: Repression of Adultery in the Later Middle Ages – Medievalists.net – https://www.medievalists.net/2023/01/adultery-later-middle-ages/ (Medievalists.net)
8. Five Punishments (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Punishments (Wikipedia)
9. Women’s Life during the Chosŏn Dynasty – International Journal of Korean History – https://ijkh.khistory.org/upload/pdf/6_05.pdf (ijkh.khistory.org)
10. Zina – Islamic legal term (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zina (Wikipedia)
11. Global Campaign to Stop Stoning of Women: Off Target in Sudan? – Chr. Michelsen Institute – https://www.cmi.no/publications/6644-global-campaign-to-stop-stoning-of-women (CMI – Chr. Michelsen Institute)
12. Stoning – Contemporary legal status and use (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoning (Wikipedia)
13. Lex Julia de adulteriis coercendis – Ancient Roman History – https://ancientromanhistory31-14.com/augustus/reform-and-order-19-18/moral-reforms/lex-julia-de-adulteriis-coercendis/ (Roman History 31 BC – AD 117)
14. Studies in the Lex Iulia de Adulteriis of 18 BCE – University of Victoria – https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/bitstreams/2f2d0200-6cfa-409d-86e8-cfc7ecb7efad/download (dspace.library.uvic.ca)
15. Anne Boleyn: Adulteress and Traitor? – GetHistory.co.uk – https://gethistory.co.uk/articles/early-modern/tudor/anne-boleyn-adulteress-and-traitor (gethistory.co.uk)
16. Torture of Adulterous Women in Medieval Europe Was… – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhrvrGx7-Kc (YouTube)