From Consent to Affectio Maritalis: Four Princely Marriages (France-England, 1395-1468)
Type de matériel :
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Mutual consent of spouses constitutes a central moment in the foundation of marriage. The canonical texts of the twelfth century associated this notion with another expression, affectio maritalis. Based on English and French chronicles of the late Middle Ages, this research work aims at understanding the forms of representations of conjugal feeling in narrative sources. More exactly, this study explores the construction of this feeling during the first meeting between the bride and groom through four examples of marriages between English and French kings or princes from 1396 to 1468. Some behaviors (exchange of portraits) and various emotional expressions (gestures, kisses, discussions between the couple) are recurrent in the accounts of these events: they give information about the status and the aims of these representations. These narratives made of stereotyped discursive elements gave an emotional meaning to these unions, which were, above all, diplomatic agreements. They also elaborate for posterity a representation of conjugal love which respects the behavioral standards of normative texts.
Réseaux sociaux