Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2014 September 4

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September 4

Western European families during the Middle Ages?

What was the structure and function of Western European families during the Middle Ages or just prior to the 14th/15th centuries? 71.79.234.132 (talk) 12:21, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Wikipedia has an article called Medieval demography which has a bit of promise, but doesn't specifically address this issue. Perhaps some of the references in that article could lead you in a better direction; there's also Middle Ages, Crisis of the Late Middle Ages, Medieval studies, Late Middle Ages; while none of those articles directly addresses your question, they all have copious references, and one of them may work for you. --Jayron32 12:32, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

The question is really impossible to answer unless you clarify what you're looking for (aristocratic families? peasant families? where exactly?). Much academic and popularized work has been done on individual families and family life in general during the Middle Ages, but I, at least, find the concept of "structure and function" in your question somewhat opaque, so I don't even know where to tell you to begin. Deor (talk) 13:12, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

You know, you can always provide some suggestions by localizing to a specific area that you already know or have been acquainted with or have found in the literature. The following source may provide information on Late-Medieval Swedish families. [Katajala-Peltomaa, S. (2013). Fatherhood, Masculinity and Lived Religion in Late-Medieval Sweden. Scandinavian Journal Of History, 38(2), 223-244. doi:10.1080/03468755.2013.781058] I should think that Sweden is a Western European country, and the article fits the desired timeframe. 140.254.226.218 (talk) 15:42, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Except that the situation in each country was different. Sweden did not have widespread serfdom, whereas serfdom persisted in many western European countries up to the period you mention. Serfdom would have had a strong impact on the "function" of families. Beyond that, every country and every region had its own customs and culture, more so than today. Marco polo (talk) 18:20, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Well, at least reading about the nature of high-medieval Swedish families is more localized and specific, and can be made into a good thesis paper. :) 71.79.234.132 (talk) 23:14, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

Ludger Sylbaris

This is claimed to be Ludger Sylbaris but it is unsourced. Can anybody see if it is authentic? Can anybody find any information on it in reliable source?--KAVEBEAR (talk) 21:20, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

If it wasn't for the sepia, scars and Wikilink, I'd swear I sometimes work with that guy. Dead ringer. I gotta show this to him. Thanks! No idea on authenticity. InedibleHulk (talk) 23:29, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

The caption says "a survivor of Saint-Pierre". Since the only other known adult survivor Léon Compère-Léandre, was either white or mulatto, it's difficult to see who else it could be. Also, the injuries are consistent with the accounts of Sylbaris's. Paul B (talk) 12:45, 7 September 2014 (UTC)