The Knight, the Lady & the Priest: The Making of Modern Marriage in Medieval France

Medieval legend conjures exotic images of high-walled castles, tournament fields choked with blazons, armored champions vying for the favor of chaste damsels, and courtly love celebrated by troubadours - not necessarily a pragmatic view if one seeks an accurate portrait of domestic relationships. This work ably exposes the realities of 10-12C marriage (arrangement, dowry, property and inheritance rights, infidelity, grounds... Read Full Review

The author has done an excellent work on the concept of marriage during the medieval period in France. While one of the other reviewers noted that the women's perspective is not entirely known, this very point is made known by the author himself - in fact he ends the book with that point in mind. Duby is not biased - it is simply an account based upon the materials that are available without too much speculation beyond that... Read Full Review

Studies on medieval marriage have become a cottage industry of sorts--with no small thanks to Georges Duby and, particularly, "The Knight, the Lady, and the Priest," along with its predecessor, "Medieval Marriage." Duby was not the first to explore the topic (and he notes that research was "not nearly so advanced in France as in the English-speaking countries"), but his studies were valuable for launching a parallel investigation... Read Full Review

This book is a classic in the field and certainly brings out a lot of issues into the arena of discussion. Duby had a blind spot, however, in that he frequently saw women simply as objects of exchange among men rather than as active participants in and shapers of the concepts of marriage and family that he's describing. Still a fascinating read and probably still essentially correct.

First of all, this is a scholarly book. However, just because it is academic does not mean it is dull. Far from it. Georges Duby was one of the leading historians/social theorists of the 20th century. Most of his career was spent in the south of France but when he was finally lured to Paris, his lectures were so popular that people waited in line to obtain tickets to hear the good professor. Professor Duby's... Read Full Review