A Cultural History of Marriage in the Renaissance and Early Modern Age

This book explores the cultural history of marriage in the Renaissance and Early Modern Age, examining the ideal templates for nuptial unions, artistic representations, and actual practices. It highlights the impact of economic, demographic, political, and religious changes on the possibility of marrying, and the choices individuals made over structural and cultural constraints.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The personal question of marriage has been asked throughout history, but during the period between 1450 and 1650, men and women's desires were influenced by a complex array of external factors. This era saw significant religious reforms in the Catholic confession, the introduction of multiple Protestant denominations, the advent of the printing press, European encounters with the Americas, North Africa, and southwestern and eastern Asia, the growth of state bureaucracies, and a resurgence of ecclesiastical authority in private life. These developments, along with social, religious, and cultural attitudes, including constructed norms of masculinity, femininity, and sexuality, impacted the possibility of marrying.

The nine scholars in this volume aim to provide a comprehensive picture of current research on the cultural history of marriage during this period by examining both the ideal templates for nuptial unions in prescriptive writings and artistic representations and actual practices in the spheres of courtship, marriage rites, sexual relationships, the formation of family networks, marital dissolution, and the overriding choices of individuals over the structural and cultural constraints of the time.

A Cultural History of Marriage in the Renaissance and Early Modern Age offers an overview of the period with essays on Courtship and Ritual, Religion, State and Law, Kinship and Social Networks, the Family Economy, Love and Sex, the Breaking of Vows, and Representations of Marriage. These essays explore various aspects of marriage and provide insights into the cultural, social, and economic factors that shaped marriage practices during this time.

In conclusion, the personal question of marriage has been asked throughout history, but during the period between 1450 and 1650, external forces, including religious reforms, economic changes, political developments, and cultural attitudes, shaped men and women's desires and practices. The nine scholars in this volume aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cultural history of marriage during this period by examining both the ideal templates for nuptial unions and the actual practices that prevailed.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 169 x 245 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350355637