Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages

By Frances Gies

Book Overview

From bestselling historians Frances and Joseph Gies, authors of the classic "Medieval Life" series, comes this compelling, lucid, and highly readable account of the family unit as it evolved throughout the Medieval period--reissued for the first time in decades.

"Some particular books that I found useful for Game of Thrones and its sequels deserve mention. Life in a Medieval Castle and Life in a Medieval City, both by Joseph and Frances Gies." --George R. R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones

Throughout history, the significance of the family--the basic social unit--has been vital. In Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages, acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies trace the development of marriage and the family from the medieval era to early modern times. It describes how the Roman and barbarian cultural streams merged under the influence of the Christian church to forge new concepts, customs, laws, and practices. Century by century, the Gies follow the development--sometimes gradual, at other times revolutionary--of significant components in the history of the family including:

The basic functions of the family as a production unit, as well as its religious, social, judicial, and educational roles.The shift of marriage from private arrangement between families to public ceremony between individuals, and the adjustments in dowry, bride-price, and counter-dowry.The development of consanguinity rules and incest taboos in church law and lay custom.The peasant family in its varying condition of being free or unfree, poor, middling, or rich.The aristocratic estate, the problem of the younger son, and the disinheritance of daughters.The Black Death and its long-term effects on the family.Sex attitudes and customs: the effects of variations in age of men and women at marriage.The changing physical environment of noble, peasant, and urban families.Arrangements by families for old age and retirement.

Expertly researched, master historians Frances and Joseph Gies--whose books were used by George R.R. Martin in his research for Game of Thrones--paint a compelling, detailed portrait of family life and social customs in one of the most riveting eras in history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060914688
• ISBN13: 9780060914684
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages

I truly enjoy every one of the Gies books I pick up. They are thoroughly researched and offer not only a historical look at the Medieval time period, but also an anthropological look at the culture and trends of the times. I have most of the series, and would recommend them to anyone wanting to get a more in depth look at this time period, even people who would not normally read history can enjoy them and get a great deal of information easily.

Family in the Dark Ages

An excellent work about a time about which little is really known. Frances and Joseph Gies manage to make fascinating what was a grim time for everybody. The book describes the form marriage had in different periods of the middle ages and what family life was like, complete with scandals and the biographies of several people of the time to provide background. The pervasive influence of the Catholic Church and what it meant at a time when it was the only international Law is shown in detail. The hardship both noble and peasant endured, the uncertainty of life and the bizarre ways(to us)families organized themselves to survive are clearly shown to provide us with a window into the times. The contracts aging parents wrote with their children surprised me more than learning how short-lived noble dynasties were. This is a book for those who want to learn some history and don't want to endure some dull text book.

Time Travel in a Book!

I have been reading this book over the last several nights and have really enjoyed it. Not a scholar or an historian, I am simply a person who has an unquenchable thirst for stories about this time period. I liked the chronological format of the book, and I was particularly interested in the growing nature of legality over issues like land transfers, inheritance and marriage. If I could meet the authors I would like to ask them about the process they used to research this book, and if they were able to actually look at some of the original documents they report from. The notes and bibliography are fascinating, and when I next have a chance to visit the U of M's library, I will look up some of the titles. I would like to thank the authors for this wonderful book!