Ages of Christian Europe. Gregory of Tours writings is the principal source for the history of Frankish kings. He also chronicles the Franks’ intimate lives, such as their polygamous marriages. Lais of Marie de Frances are a collection of narrative poems that deifies love while at the same time having a pessimistic outlook. The History of the Franks and Marie de France both do not conform to Christian notions of gender relations, love, and marriage. There are also no prevalent Christian ethics regarding gender roles. Both The History of the Franks and Lais Marie de France Christianity plays the role of an obstacle in regards to gender relations.
When both these texts were being written the Church had slight different views on what should define marriage. At the time of Gregory of Tours, the Church defined marriage as both a reproduction and an emotional relationship. In Genesis it is explained that part of God’s plan for humans is for them to multiply. It is also …show more content…
This rule had a lot of consequences, since you can only marry one person and has to be for life most marriages were driven by political or monetary reasons. The arrangement of marriage was done by the bride and groom's parents. These traditions systematically erased love from being an integral part of marriage. And although some men were able to choose their bride, women didn't have a choice as to who they would marry. This is why Marie usually depicts marriage in her Lais as loveless and miserable. She also challenged Church traditions of marriage by depicting adulterous affairs and women seeking escape from a loveless marriage. In Guigemar, Bisclavret, and Yonec the female characters were all trapped in marriages they wanted to escape from. In order for them to escape they each resorted to