Medieval Marriage: Two Models from Twelfth-Century France / Edition 1

by Georges Duby

Overview

Eminent French social historian Georges Duby idenitifies the twelfth century as a cruical turning point in the development of the institution of marriage in Western civilization. His study of medieval marriage is a worthy successor to the exploration of social attitudes begun by Philippe Aries and continued by Fernand Braudel.

During the twelfth century, Dury explains, the ideals and needs of the aristocracy clashed with those of the Church. The nobility regarded marriage as a matter of convenience and political alliance, especially when it meant the consoldation of power in a particular territory. But the Church sought to reassert its hold over the decular world by demanding strict adherence to the sacredness and indissolubility of marriage. This strong stand did much to rationalize the institution of marriage and establish guidelines for the legitimacy of heirs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801843198
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/01/1991
Series:	The Johns Hopkins Symposia in Comparative History , #11
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Georges Duby (1919-1996), was a member of the Académie Française, and Professor of Medieval History at the Collège de France.

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating account of medieval marriage among the aristocracy of northern France, emphasizing the main features of their marriage strategies.
—Journal of Ecclesiastical History

Duby presents a fascinating account of medieval marriage among the aristocracy of northern France, emphasizing the main features of their marriage strategies, the maintenance of the 'lineage,' and the making of good marriages.
—Journal of Ecclesiastical History

From the Publisher

Excellent and highly readable...The translation is clear and convincing.

History

A fascinating account of medieval marriage among the aristocracy of northern France, emphasizing the main features of their marriage strategies.

Journal of Ecclesiastical History

Magisterial...The work adds a major chapter to Professor Duby's impressive evocation of medieval aristocratic society

Speculum