not efficiently forbid clandestine marriages and attempts to abolish clerical marriage took time to take effect. 165 Yet by the time of the Fourth Lateran Council
of 1215, the developments and changes to specifics of marriage and ceremony,
such as witnesses and ritual words, had come a long way after a century of expansive canon law. 166 Women’s lives, whether under religious vocation or not,
were deeply influenced by the teachings of the church and their secular identity
as wives and mothers placed them to raise the next generation of Christians in moral principle. 167 Throughout the changes made to their marital state by the church their position in this respect remained the same but perhaps more defined. 168
In conclusion, the overarching influence of the church on society was
undeniable, especially within the context of the twelfth century and the reforms
that were undertaken. The way women in different contexts were impacted
either directly or indirectly has been displayed in both monastic and secular
examples. Reforms were undertaken were to achieve an ideal already set in place by the conversion. 169 Christianity is the constant in people’s lives. There is
therefore arguably equal precedent to argue in favour of either change or
continuity as they are linked to one another in this context. Whilst the
developments in Christian Anglo-Norman society are undeniable, the sheer fact
that they were done within the context of the unceasing dominance of the
Western church, allows the argument to sit firmly in the middle. Values and
practices altered but the core of society remained the same.
Bibliogrpahy Baker, Derek, and Rosalind M. T. Hill, Medieval Women (Oxford: Blackwell for the Ecclesiastical History Society, 1978).
165 Ward, p. 22. See also A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World , p 176. 166 Ward, p. 5-6. See also Chibnall, Anglo-Norman England, 1066-1166 , p. 198. 167 Ward, p. 7. See also p. 9. 168 Johns, p. 195. 169 Ward, p. 12. See also Herlihy, p. 156-9.
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