Reordering Marriage and Society in Reformation Germany

by Joel F. Harrington

• ISBN13: 9780521464833
• ISBN10: 0521464838
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1995-01-27
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book examines the impact of the Protestant Reformation on both the ideal and practice of marriage in sixteenth-century Germany. Unlike previous specialized and esoteric monographs, this study synthesizes the author's extensive archival work with a broad array of scholarly research in legal, theological, and, especially, social history. His most important conclusion is the minimal impact of Protestant marriage reforms, and the striking similarity in this respect to concurrent Catholic measures, particularly in the actual formation and preservation of marriages.

Table of Contents

Part I. The Nature and Origins of Sixteenth-Century Marriage Reform: 1. Marriage reform and reformers

2. Marriage and the Church: the ideological reformation

3. Marriage and the state: the bureaucratic reformation

Part II. The Social Impact of Sixteenth-Century Marriage Reform: 4. In loco parentis: public approval of private consent

5. 'Against the marriage devil': sexual discipline and marital stability

6. Conclusions.