Rattibha

#Thread Marriage system in Britain history
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Before 1215 marrying with common great-great-great-great-great-grandparent was impediment.
Definitions of incest were changed by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, reduced to having a great-great-grandparent in common.
2/17

Canon law decreed that no child under the age of seven could contract a marriage, Above the age of seven, the contract could be made but the marriage would be valid when both parties consented to marriage at the age of consent 12 for girls and 14 for boys. (Stone 1965: 652)
3/17

The statutes issued by the English church in 1217–19 issued a warning that no man should “place a ring of reeds or another material, vile or precious, on a young woman's hands in jest, so that he might more easily fornicate with
4/17

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. Parental consent was not required
5/17

A woman was regarded as the ‘weaker vessel’ (a phrase taken from the New Testament)—a creature physically, intellectually, morally and even spiritually inferior to a man; therefore, the man had a right to dominate her (Fraser 1981: 1).
6/17

The main purpose of marriage was having children. It was not only ensuring an heir that was significant; the husband could not act as the head of a family until his marriage had produced an offspring, so it was also a matter of social prestige.
7/17

For a woman, Infertility was perceived not only as a social defect, but as a downright punishment by God.
Christening of babies was a show of fulfilment of social obligation that Marriage was successful and a child was borne.
8/17

1501, Katherin of Aragon 12 yrs married to Arthur of England 11 years
1547, four-year-old Elizabeth Hulse was married to seven-year-old George Hulse
1697, Louis 15 years was married to his 2nd cousin princess Marie-Adelaide 12 yrs
Wiki Common. @loretta_dolan
9/17

Basic requirement for legally valid marriage was not a formal consecration in a church, but completion of a marriage contract, commonly called ‘spousals’ - an act in which the bride and groom said their vows in the present tense-‘per verba de prasenti’ (Ingram 1987: 126).
10/17

Position of a woman in the 17th-century English marriage was dictated by the patriarchal nature, with an emphasis on the subordination of women. Common law was strongly biased in favour of the husband/father. The man also had a right to beat his wife
11/17

Adultery in a man was not judged as strictly as it was in a woman. Girls were required to preserve their virginity until the wedding. Afterwards, it was considered a husband’s duty to ensure his wife’s fidelity by preventing all situations that could awaken her sensuality.
12/17

Divorce was not an option
Breaking rules automatically invalidated the marriage
13/17

Hardwicke's Act 1753, licensed were issued at a cost to sped up marrying process. Minors can get the license at little extra costs
14/17

On 28 April 2022, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 raised the minimum age at which people in England and Wales can marry from 16 to 18.
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