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AngloSaxon questions...can you help?

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by up4tea (U3248772) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006

  After a recent visit to Much Wenlock and Wenlock Priory in Shropshire, I became fascinated with the lives of St Milburga and her family, many of whom were also apparently saints.
  
  I have a basic question concerning marriage because it seems that although her mother was an Abbess at Minster-in-Thanet in Kent, she also married King Merewalh and came to what is now Shropshire.
  What were the rules concerning marriage amongst "nuns" and monks in those days?
  
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Cerdic (U3121326) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006

  Loose!

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• Message 3

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  Posted by up4tea (U3248772) on Friday, 24th March 2006

  lol
  
  seriously though?

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• Message 4

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  Posted by jllb0221 (U3587794) on Friday, 24th March 2006

  I believe that during this time period, marriage as defined by the Catholic church was loosly followed. The Church didn't ban marriage of or between the clergy until much later (relatively)and even then, one only has to look at the popes to see how they passed the Holy See on to their children as if it were part of their ineritance! Anyway, it was very common for the clergy to be married & not necessarily to just one woman if he was a priest. Just look at the early kings & queens of England & one can see evidence of multiple partners i.e: King Cnut & Queen Emma. Cnut had a wife with whom he had several children with yet during the conquest of England, it was politicaly expedient for him to marry Emma & ditch the first wife & kids. The exwife became what's called a hand fast wife, I believe. By the way, Emma did negotiate a good deal here in that the prior wife's children were specifically excluded from inheriting any claim to the English throne.
  
  There was no marriage ceremony as we have today & I believe the monastary & convent walls were much more fluid than what they evolved into later.
  
  Hope this helps!

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• Message 5

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  Posted by up4tea (U3248772) on Tuesday, 28th March 2006

  hiya thanks, I was not aware of that, I was under the impression the vows of chastity and purity for monks/nuns were already in place at that time according to other readings I had done...
  it definately gives me something more to think about
  

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• Message 6

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  Posted by Cerdic (U3121326) on Tuesday, 28th March 2006

  I think you are right in a way. The purity/chastity thing for clergy in general was supposed to be observed from very early in the church's history. However it seems to have been regarded by most as more of an ideal to aspire to!
  
  At various times throughout the dark/middle ages there were backlashes against the excesses of monks and priests when stricter rules were enforced. Sometimes this was at the instigation of the pope, sometimes by reformers such as the Cluniac and Cistercian orders.
  
  

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• Message 7

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  Posted by jllb0221 (U3587794) on Tuesday, 28th March 2006

  Let's not forget Chaucer & his priest in the middle ages!
  

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