Eminent French social historian Georges Duby identifies the twelfth century as a crucial turning point in the development of the institution of marriage in Western civilization. His study of medieval marriage is a worthy successor to the exploration of social attitudes begun by Philippe Aries and continued by Fernand Braudel.

Georges Duby (1919-1996), was a member of the Académie Française, and Professor of Medieval History at the Collège de France.