Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages

By: Frances Gies, Joseph Gies

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

A compelling, lucid, and highly enjoyable chronicle of medieval life written by the authors of the bestselling Life in a Medieval Castle and Life in a Medieval City

Historians have only recently awakened to the importance of the family, the basic social unit throughout human history. This book traces the development of marriage and the family from the Middle Ages to the early modern era.

It describes how the Roman and barbarian cultural streams merged under the influence of the Christian church to forge new concepts, customs, laws, and practices. Century by century, it follows the development—sometimes gradual, at other times revolutionary—of significant elements in the history of the family, including

• The basic functions of the family as production unit, as well as its religious, social, judicial, and educational roles;
• The shift of marriage from private arrangement between families to public ceremony between individuals, and the adjustments in dowry, bride-price, and counter-dowry;
• The development of consanguinity rules and incest taboos in church law and lay custom;
• The peasant family in its varying condition of being free or unfree, poor, middling, or rich;
• The aristocratic estate, the problem of the younger son, and the disinheritance of daughters;
• The Black Death and its long-term effects on the family;
• Sex attitudes and customs: the effects of variations in age of men and women at marriage;
• The changing physical environment of noble, peasant, and urban families; and
• Arrangements by families for old age and retirement.

Expertly researched, master historians Frances and Joseph Gies—whose books were used by George R. R. Martin in his research for Game of Thrones—paint a compelling, detailed portrait of family life and social customs in one of the most riveting eras in history.

©1987 Frances and Joseph Gies (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Addition information to what previous books had given me

Narrator’s voice was somewhat monotone which made it a bit difficult to listen to. Still, I found the information interesting. Many things that were similar or dissimilar to modern times. Laughable how some of the same issues keep popping up.

Good history

I enjoy this Audible book, some good stories of the middle ages. May need to check for more

Fun narration for an interesting topic

This is an all encompassing work which details norms of family life from classical Rome to the renaissance. Obviously it can get overwhelming but it does a good job of organizing the information. I love how the narrator always reads primary source quotes with some dramatization, which both helps delineate the quotations from the text, and gives character to the people being referenced. Really great for having a pretty solid understanding of Medieval marriage and family relations, as well as where most of our modern versions originate.

Could have been cut in half, would not read again

With the number of times "due to limited historical documentation" is referenced, this book focuses on too many specific people and their situations from what little information really exists on the subject. Understandably, only the wealthy had access to written text so that is most of what this book is about. I had hoped for more of a macro focus on what was happening across Europe in those times from all socioeconomic levels, and that is not what this is. The first half of the book reads like a soap-opera of a few Lords and political leaders. They married, had concubines on the side, tired of spouses and got rid of them, rinse and repeat, for generations. Pretty much the same as exists today on the grocery store magazine rack. One short chapter on children and what they did, their roles, their education, etc.. A decent explanation of property ownership over the centuries and how it passed down through heirs, and then how the plague affected it. A large portion of the second half focuses only on Florence, and what seems like a census uncovered of the times. Far too much elaboration with too little information on one specific city, at one specific time. Would not read/listen again; an abridged version could easily be accomplished.