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Feb 10, 2022 · Marriage was deemed to be acceptable as soon as puberty hit – for girls from around age 12 and boys 14 – so betrothals were sometimes made at a very young age. It is said that women first gained the right to propose marriage in Scotland in 1228, which then caught on in the rest of Europe.
- 3 min
- Couples did not need to marry in a church – they could get married down the pub, round at a friend’s house or even in bed. In the Middle Ages, getting married was easy for Christians living in western Europe.
- You could get married as soon as you hit puberty – and parental consent was not required. Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex in the medieval period, and as a result Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, generally seen at the time as age 12 for women and 14 for men.
- Having sex created a legally binding marriage. There were various ways in which a medieval couple could use words or actions to create a marriage. Consent to marry could be given verbally by ‘words of present consent’ – no specific phrase or formula was required.
- Married or not married? It is clear that there were misunderstandings. It could be difficult to know if a couple was married and they might even not agree themselves.
In the centuries prior to the first millennium A.D., marriage was a good way to ensure your family's safety. By marrying a daughter off to a fellow from a nearby tribe, you expanded the circle of people who you could rely upon in times of famine or violence.
- Molly Edmonds
Mar 18, 2019 · There were many famous women in the Middle Ages, including Eleanor of Aquitaine, Christine de Pizan, Hildegard of Bingen, St. Therese de Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Marie de Champagne. Did women of all social classes have the same rights or lack thereof?
- Joshua J. Mark
- Women were considered second-class citizens in Europe during the early Middle Ages and essentially the property of their father or husband. They ga...
- The medieval Church considered women second-class citizens based on passages from the Bible supporting this view, especially Eve as bringing sin in...
- Women of the lowest social class had greater freedom than those above them because they regularly worked with men and were ignored by the higher cl...
Feb 14, 2020 · In this guest post, Anna Boeles Rowland and Chanelle Delameillieure explore love, consent, and marital disputes from the courts of medieval England and the Low Countries.
The marriage of the duke of Burgundy to the heiress of Flanders lays the foundation for the great territorial expansion of Burgundy
Medieval marriage was both a private and social matter. According to canon law, the law of the Catholic Church, marriage was a concrete exclusive bond between husband and wife; giving the husband all power and control in the relationship. Husband and wife were partners and were supposed to reflect Adam and Eve. Even though wives had to submit ...
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