Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Record Number: 6612 Author(s)/Creator(s): Ribordy , Geneviève. Contributor(s): Title: The Two Paths to Marriage: The Preliminaries of Noble Marriage in Late Medieval France Source: Journal of Family History 26, 3 (July 2001): Pages 323 - 336. Description: Article Type: Journal Article Subject (See Also): Consent Courtship Family Love Marriage Nobility Award Note: Geographic Area: France Century: 14- 15 Primary Evidence: Illustrations: Table: Abstract: In medieval France, preliminaries were instrumental to the formation of noble marriage. Judicial and literary documents reveal the existence of two forms of preliminaries. The first involved family and friends, combined embassies, formal meetings and celebrations, and created unions on a political and economical basis. This dominant model was challenged by a personal model where enamoured couples courted and wed regardless of parental consent. Advocating values of love and individual choice partly coinciding with ecclesiastical doctrine, but contrary to aristocratic matrimonial ideals, it was perceived as a threat to the nobility’s model of marriage and was therefore bound to remain marginal. Related Resources: Author's Affiliation: Université Laval, Quebec City- Postdoctoral Fellow Conference Info: - , - Year of Publication: 2001. Language: English ISSN/ISBN: 03631990

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