Between Betrothal and Bedding

Between Betrothal and Bedding
Author: Mia Korpiola
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 454
Release: 2009
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004173293

Swedish medieval marriage formation was a process, written down in the secular laws. However, it started to evolve because of the interaction with the medieval Catholic marriage doctrine, which focused on mutual words of consent. Although first the canon law of marriage, and then Lutheran marriage dogma influenced the Swedish development, the perception of marriage as a process, consisting of several legal acts and accompanied by property transfers, proved remarkably resilient. The pragmatic and rural character of Sweden contributed to this, despite pressure from canon and Roman law and attempts at bringing marriage formation under ecclesiastical control. Marrying by stages was in itself unremarkable in Europe, but the legal foundation and formality make medieval and sixteenth-century Sweden a unique case study.

The Betrothed

The Betrothed
Author: Alessandro Manzoni
Publisher:
Total Pages: 638
Release: 1898
Genre: African American women
ISBN:

Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters: the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister 'Unnamed' in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.

A Counterfeit Betrothal/The Notorious Rake

A Counterfeit Betrothal/The Notorious Rake
Author: Mary Balogh
Publisher: Dell
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2013-04-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0440245478

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Mary Balogh presents two of her classic Regency-era romances—seductive tales of ladies who are running away from love . . . and rogues who enjoy the chase. A COUNTERFEIT BETROTHAL Lady Sophia Bryant has no intention of marrying anytime soon. Her one desire is to reunite her parents, who have been estranged for fourteen years. Surely, if she happens to announce her betrothal—even a false one—they will be forced to see each other. Devilishly handsome Lord Francis Sutton seems perfect for such deceit, always agreeable to games of passion in which he has nothing to lose. The trap is set—if only Lady Sophia can keep her foolish heart from falling prey to her brilliant snares. THE NOTORIOUS RAKE Lord Edmund Waite is everything that Lady Mary Gregg despises: lewd, lascivious, mocking—the most incorrigible and successful rogue around. A bluestocking like her would never tempt a man whose taste runs to pretty playthings—so Mary is startled to find herself the object of Lord Edmund’s desires. Even more surprising is her reaction to his shocking advances. She may be a lady, but this man knows so well how to make her feel like a woman. Includes excerpts of The Proposal and The Arrangement by Mary Balogh

The Betrothed

The Betrothed
Author: Alessandro Manzoni
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 587
Release: 2013-01-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 162558332X

This historical romance of seventeenth-century Milan, first published in 1827, is the most famous of Italian novels. It has great breadth and depth-- indeed its moral, religious, and political themes are as applicable to the problems of our own day as they were to the Napoleonic times when it was written, or the period of the Thirty Years War in which it is set.