The Life of Christina of Markyate, a story of rich and noble 12th century woman who wanted to live her life as she choose to live it, not as society and her parents wanted. Christina did not want to marry and wanted to devote her life to god. She decided at a very young age to remain chaste and struggled to maintain that life style throughout her lifetime. A recounting of her struggle was written in the 12th century by possibly a chaplain that served the community in which she lived out her life as an anchoress, and it was published in 1959 after a copy was found in the British Library. What was the author trying to convey to the readers about marriage? Was Christina so very different that other woman of the Middle Ages? If we explore…show more content… It was to their advantage to make a good marriage, or business arrangement, for their daughter Christina. “For if she remained chaste for the love of Christ, the feared that they would lose her and all they could hope to gain through her.” (21) In order for the reader to understand what the author is trying to convey, they must also understand how different marriage was in the 12th century. Making a marriage was about making a contract that included not only both families, but also the Lord and to a lesser extent the church. The Bride and Groom were usually teenagers, and had never met. Parents were the driving force behind marriages, as they were the ones that benefitted the most. According to the laws of the time though, a marriage contract was not fulfilled until the marriage was consummated. When we look at Auti’s and Beatrix’s motivation for Christina’s marriage, it is easier to understand when we know why they did what they…show more content… The author does a good job of conveying the message of the parents of Christina as greedy and self-serving because of their lack of compassion and understanding for their daughter’s wishes. Christina’s desire to lead a chaste, or monastic life was contrary to her parents’ wishes for her. Although the Blessed Virgin Mary was the ideal of womanhood during the medieval times, it was the ideal of the medieval wife more that the medieval woman. Having a daughter lead a monastic life was an embarrassment to the parents. Christina choosing a monastic life reflected poorly on her parents, because it could be interpreted that Auti and Beatrix could not afford to marry off their daughter and therefore they were not affluent. This was not the case, and it is shown in the story when Auti and Beatrix used their influence and money to bribe a Bishop that had sided with Christina, when she wanted to be released from her marriage contract. This is a point in the story where we see the sin of greed overcoming Christina’s goodness and