The Medieval Idea of Marriage

by Christopher Nugent Lawrence Brooke

Offering an in-depth look at the nature of medieval marriage, Christopher Brooke surveys current approaches to the idea of marriage, exploring the practice and law of marriage, the cult of celibacy in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the relationship between marriage and architecture. He draws on a wide range of case studies and other sources, including the letters of Heloise and Abelard, the epics of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Chaucer's poetry.

Genres: Medieval History

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1988

About the author

Christopher Nugent Lawrence Brooke CBE FBA FSA was a British medieval historian.

From 1974 to 1994 he was Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge. He was married to fellow medievalist, Rosalind B. Brooke.

Brooke was the son of medieval historian Zachary Nugent Brooke (1 December 1883 – 7 October 1946).

Reviews

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at medieval marriage as seen by various medieval authors and by writings in the legal codes etc. There seem to have been a lot of uncertainty about what actually made a marriage legal, whether the church needed to be involved etc, and the importance of consent came to be insisted on by the church as the period progressed. There is quite a lot about Abelard and Heloise, though their marriage was rather an unusual one. Marriage in Chaucer is discussed, and there is a chapter about marriage in Shakespeare, which is perhaps stretching the definition of ‘medieval’ a bit. I was a bit surprised there is no mention of Christine de Pisan, as I think her book Treasure of the City of Ladies is very informative on the subject of what was expected of women in marriage. But generally it is a very interesting book.

[Nixycoco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking as someone who has never received a proposal, a medieval idea seems as good as anything else.

[Ted Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely conclusion

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 3 out of 5]

part-read for sex and sin. has clear simple explanation of patristic and early medieval concubinage.