This book shows how definitions of sexuality and gender roles operated and how such definitions articulated concerns inside a given culture.There are new approaches to understanding famous figures, such as Elizabeth I, James VI and I and his wife Anna of Denmark: Francis I: St. Teresa of Avila. Other chapters investigate topics such as militarism and court culture, and wider groups, such as urban citizens and noble families. The collection also studies ways in which gender and sexual orientation were represented in literature, as well as examinations of the theoretical issues involved in studying history from the angle of gender.
This book focuses on how dramatic changes in living conditions affected key parts of the life course of ordinary citizens: marriage and divorce. This comparative volume draw on newly available micro-level data, as well as qualitative sources such as war diaries.