The Medieval Idea of Marriage (Clarendon Paperbacks)

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.