H 116 - Tying the Knot: Marriage in the Medieval Christian and Islamic Worlds

This course examines the meaning, practice, and religious significance of marriage in both the Christian and Islamic worlds during the Middle Ages. It focuses on the diverse religious, cultural, and social meanings of marriage as expressed in literary texts like hagiographies and histories, as well as the contested legal and doctrinal aspects of matrimony argued over by lawyers, jurists, and theologians. Particular attention will be paid to analysis of archival legal sources like marriage contracts and disputes which shed light on marriage practices, gender dynamics, and family relationships in the medieval world.