By the end of the fifth century, with the structural collapse of the Roman Empire in the west, Western Europe had fallen into the so-called Dark Ages. With the power of Rome removed, the Catholic Church stepped in to fill the void. Its political rise, alongside that of the Germanic kingdoms, led to dramatic changes in law, politics, power, and culture. Against the backdrop of that upheaval, the family became a vitally important area of focus for cultural struggles related to morality, law, and tradition. This book explores those battles in order to demonstrate, through the family, the intersections between Roman and Christian legal culture, thought, and political power.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Terminology and Time Frame
- Structure
- Part 1 Creating New Families
- 1 Property, Power and Bride Price
- 2 Consent to Betrothal
- 3 Betrothal, Desire, and Emotional Attachment
- 4 Having Children
- 5 Family Planning
- Conclusions to Part 1
- Part 2 Marriage
- 1 Property and the Limits of Marriage
- 2 Sex and the Meaning of Marriage
- 3 Adultery
- 4 Divorce
- 5 Concordia
- Conclusions to Part 2
- Part 3 Parenthood
- 1 Patrimony and Fatherhood
- 2 The Role and Meaning of Fatherhood
- 3 The Legal Role of Mothers
- 4 The Nurturing Mother
- 5 Parents and Betrothal
- 6 Parents and Adult Children
- Conclusions to Part 3
- Conclusions
- Appendix 1: The Law Codes
- Liber Constitutionum
- Pactus Legis Salicae
- Lex Ripuaria
- Visigothic Code
- Lombard Law Codes
- Appendix 2: Table of Incidence of Laws Concerning Betrothal and Marriage
- Appendix 3: Three Table of Incidence of Laws Concerning Parenting
- Bibliography
- Index
Text
Audio
Adobe DRM
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