Views on marriage in the early Middle Ages

In the era of the early Middle Ages, attitudes toward marriage were rarely associated with romance and love. Early Christians in general had a very vague and contradictory view of marriage.

Three prevailing views dominated. According to the first of them, marriage is a gift from God, and its purpose is procreation. At the same time, there were different interpretations of it, for example, the assertion that the creation of a large family is the sacred duty of the spouses.

The second point of view was that marriage is a necessary evil that it is better to marry than to burn out of love passion. The idea of ​​satisfying passion through marriage was based on a realistic realization of intimacy as a natural human need, which must be legalized in one way or another. And today, many marriages of young people emerging from adolescence are based precisely on such ideas about intimate life.

The third opinion about marriage was that it should be completely avoided. This view was widespread in connection with the anticipated many early Christians close to the second coming of Christ. They believed that it was necessary to be free from conjugal duties to fully devote oneself to religion. And now there are still people who avoid marriage for the same reason. In the same position, excluding family relationships, there are men and women who refuse marriage for the sake of a career or other similar considerations.

During the early Christianity, many marriage laws were radically changed. For example, polygamous marriages and levirate1 were banned. Polygamy of the patriarchs of the Old Testament was declared a cultural necessity as a means of populating the world with "elected people".The influential writer of the time, Tertullian( 160-230 AD) wittily remarked that if the Lord wanted to encourage polygamy, he would not have stopped on one Adam's rib for the creation of Eve: he would probably have taken several ribs and createdAdam has several wives.

Representations about marriage underwent serious changes, in connection with which in the II century AD.e. The Christianity that was gaining strength strengthened his criticism. The marriage was branded, recognized as "the work of Satan's hands," and the focus of evil was the female body. The same Tertullian declared that a woman is a beautiful temple erected over a large abyss.

Woman, you are the gates of Satan,

You are misleading the true path of

of someone whom he can not hit openly.

The development of monasticism( around 370 AD) did nothing to correct religious beliefs about marriage. The church, which had a huge influence, consistently opposed sexual pleasure and marriage itself. Even married couples the church called to give up intimate life for the sake of chastity.

These views on marriage remained virtually throughout the entire Middle Ages.

THE DARK YEARS OF THE MIDDLE AGES

At the end of the 5th century ADe. The Western Roman Empire was conquered by the northern tribes of the barbarians( 476 AD).The word "barbarian" was used by the ancient Romans and Greeks in relation to all foreigners, to any person who does not belong to their culture. These tribes constantly invaded and shattered the Roman Empire throughout the 4th and 5th centuries. Accordingly, each tribe brought their own ideas about marriage, their marriage rites.

For example, in accordance with the traditions of Germanic tribes, marriage was monogamous, and marital infidelity of both husband and wife was severely punished by morality and law. The Frankish tribes, on the contrary, approved polygamy and allowed the purchase and sale of brides. At the same time, almost all barbarian tribes believed that marriage exists as a whole for the sake of the family, for the sake of economic and sexual convenience.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, an era that later became known as the Middle Ages or the Middle Ages began.

The transition from tribal to nationality lasted several centuries. As the royal power increased, the feudal tribal chiefs gradually lost their absolute power, including the right to decide on the marriages of their vassals and smerds. Marriages, based on the voluntary union of spouses, have become possible. At the same time, a more liberal point of view on marriage appeared, in spite of the fact that the church still remained in the early Christian position and in every woman, the daughter of Eva, saw the personification of the evil beginning.

At the end of the early Middle Ages a new romantic direction appeared. Exquisite, or chivalrous love efforts of troubadours of Southern France, popularized it in their works, became widespread at the royal courts of England, France, Germany. The code of chivalrous love was everywhere the same and refined: a chaste, beautiful and usually inaccessible noble lady adored, burning with love, an equally noble, gallant and brave knight. The principles of knightly love were embodied in such medieval works as the allegorical "The Legend of the Rose", and in the history of the life of the French philosopher, theologian, poet Pierre Abelard( 1079-1142) and his beloved Eloise.

Abelard and Eloise neglected church laws, for which they were severely punished. Abelard tonsured monks, followed him went to the monastery and Eloise. However, throughout their lives they exchanged passionate letters. This long-standing love affair continued to support the unquenchable fire of their tragic love.

Inspired by such stories, representatives of knightly and court circles idealized and romanticized war and women. Often they generally united them together, believing that noble deeds are accomplished by them solely for the glory of a beautiful lady. At the same time, among the knights, selfless fidelity, valor, justice and abstinence were esteemed above all, especially since the beloved was usually married, and therefore inaccessible. An integral part of the knightly code was the Christian virtues, the preaching of Christianity and the struggle against Islam.

In the same era, a romantic attitude towards a woman was attacked by many scientists. For example, the philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas( 1225-1274), whose writings had a great influence on the minds of medieval Europe, adapting the early writings of Aristotle, considered a woman only as a spoiled version of a man. Accordingly, he believed that children should be educated in a greater respect for the father than for the mother, and that the wives be punished to provide husbands with clean clothes, warm them with good fire in the hearth, wash their feet, watch stockings and shoes, prepare tasty food and drinks,a lot of attention, to prepare a comfortable bed with white sheets, a nightcap and fur covers, as well as to deliver other joys, secret and secret pleasures.