Customer Reviews

Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages

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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!

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.

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.

An excellent compendium of Medieval family life, including church and social expectations, inheritance laws, and varying attitudes toward women, childbirth, and old age. Ages 15 and up.