Freely Given
Medieval Romances
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5.0, 4 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Freely Given is a series of four, short romances depicting the lack of control a Medieval woman experienced in choosing her marriage partner. Noble marriages were arranged by king and family. What happened if the woman did not freely give consent?
The Troubadour
Courtly love, as sung by troubadours, was often a refuge for Medieval wives. Yet, its basis was fantasy, a far cry from the harsh realities of everyday life. Will an unwilling bride find courtly love and satisfy the longings of her romantic heart?
The Novice
Can a Medieval woman who doubts her vocation to the Church find true love in an arranged marriage?
The Betrothed
Marriage based on love was foreign to the Medieval mind. Yet consent had to be freely given for a marriage to be valid. Can a reluctant bride dare refuse her betrothed without suffering the consequences?
The Duke
A trip to the British museum in London catapults a modern exchange student back in time to a tragic life shrouded in secrecy, lust, and true love.
Customer Reviews
A Lovely Anthology of Medieval Romances!
I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology of four Medieval romances. I was reminded of what I already knew, but in a poignant way, that Medieval women had little control over their choice in a marriage partner. These four short romances tell four different tales of what four Medieval women did in refusing to give free consent to the matchmaking their parents or sovereigns did on their behalves. The results of their either running away or reluctantly succumbing to passion with their betrotheds or dreaming back in time with their beloved made for some wonderful stories about their wisdom, strength and passion. I recommend this anthology highly.
