Morality and masculinity in the Carolingian empire
By: Rachel Stone
Series: Cambridge studies in medieval life and thought : fourth series -- 81
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 399
ISBN-13: 9781107006744
Subjects: Conduct of life; Christian ethics; HISTORY / Europe / General; Moral education; Masculinity; Carolingians; Social conditions; Nobility; History
Description: "What did it mean to be a Frankish nobleman in an age of reform? How could Carolingian lay nobles maintain their masculinity and their social position, while adhering to new and stricter moral demands by reformers concerning behaviour in war, sexual conduct and the correct use of power? This book explores the complex interaction between Christian moral ideals and social realities, and between religious reformers and the lay political elite they addressed. It uses the numerous texts addressed to a lay audience (including lay mirrors, secular poetry, political polemic, historical writings and legislation) to examine how Biblical and patristic moral ideas were reshaped to become compatible with the realities of noble life in the Carolingian empire. This innovative analysis of Carolingian moral norms demonstrates how gender interacted with political and religious thought to create a distinctive Frankish elite culture, presenting a new picture of early medieval masculinity"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. Moral texts and lay audiences; 3. Warfare; 4. Imagining power; 5. Central power; 6. Personal power; 7. Power and wealth; 8. Marriage; 9. Sex; 10. Men and morality; Bibliography.