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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.
List of contents
Abbreviations, Introduction, Terminology and Time Frame, Structure Part One: Creating New Families Chapter One: Property, Power and Bride Price Chapter Two: Consent to Betrothal Chapter Three: Betrothal, Desire, and Emotional Attachment Chapter Four: Having Children Chapter Four: Family Planning Conclusions to Part One Part Two: Marriage Chapter One: Property and the Limits of Marriage Chapter Two: Sex and the Meaning of Marriage Chapter Four: Divorce Chapter Five: Concordia Conclusions to Part Two Part Three: Parenthood Chapter One: Patrimony and Fatherhood Chapter Two: The Role and Meaning of Fatherhood Chapter Three: The Legal Role of Mothers Chapter Four: The Nurturing Mother Chapter Five: Parents and Betrothal Chapter Six: Parents and Adult Children Conclusions to Part Three, Conclusions, Appendix One: The Law Codes, Appendix Two: Table of Incidence of Laws Concerning Betrothal and Marriage, Appendix Three: Table of Incidence of Laws Concerning Parenting, Notes
About the author
Dr Emma Southon lives in Belfast and is a freelance writer and editor.
