| This thesis examines the Church's laws governing consanguinity and affinity during the era of Gregorian reform, focusing on a number of high-profile cases that involved disputes between the papacy and various European monarchs. It traces the evolution of the Church's policy on this issue, which began with a strict enforcement of the incest laws in the first 150 years of the period, followed by an increasing use of papal dispensations to mitigate the strictness of the prohibitions after ca. 1150. Ultimately, the Church reduced the prohibitions at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, thus bringing the laws into closer conformity with prevailing marriage practices.;These case studies reveal a clash between two opposing concepts of marriage, one reflecting predominantly ecclesiastical concerns, the other representing secular concerns. Paradoxically, although the Church opted to relax its prohibitions, it nonetheless succeeded in establishing an authoritative and enduring influence over the institution of marriage. |
