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Chapter 1 - Choosing a Bride

from Part I - The Life Cycle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2020

Robert Bartlett
Affiliation:
University of St Andrews, Scotland
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Summary

This chapter discusses the way royal brides were chosen. Some dynasties, e.g. the Carolingians and the Wessex kings, married members of their own aristocracy, others, e.g. the Plantagenets and the kings of Denmark, married foreign princesses. Both strategies had advantages and disadvantages. In Byzantium there is evidence (much debated and disputed) for bride-shows, public searches for a bride. Royal princesses were sent abroad as young girls and might have to learn new languages and adopt new names. They also brought alien customs, which were not always welcomed. Marriage of a new king to his predecessor’s widow occurred and could either be decried as a disgusting custom or accepted perfectly pragmatically. Church rules affected the range of choice, with increasingly strict rules prohibiting cousin marriage. The chapter closes with a case study, the projected marriages of a daughter of Edward III of England.

Type
Chapter
Information
Blood Royal
Dynastic Politics in Medieval Europe
, pp. 9 - 51
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Choosing a Bride
  • Robert Bartlett, University of St Andrews, Scotland
  • Book: Blood Royal
  • Online publication: 09 July 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108854559.002
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  • Choosing a Bride
  • Robert Bartlett, University of St Andrews, Scotland
  • Book: Blood Royal
  • Online publication: 09 July 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108854559.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Choosing a Bride
  • Robert Bartlett, University of St Andrews, Scotland
  • Book: Blood Royal
  • Online publication: 09 July 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108854559.002
Available formats
×