Medieval Marriages

In the medieval era, marriages were sought out for very different reasons, and in general were very different than they are today. Women were not given the choice of who they were to marry, and for the most part, did not even meet their future husband before they wed. Some couples were even married at the young age of 10.

Marriage was a rite of passage made by choice, and not by the couple to be wed, but by their parents. The families of the young couples would get together beforehand to completely plan a marriage. They negotiated and agreed which contributions each side would make and bring to the table. For the most part, the future couple did not meet until practical arrengements were made. This included dividing property, money, and even planning out what the future for the couple would look like. Marriages of this time period were considered business deals, and emotions were not taken into consideration; it was considered luck if a couple happened to fall in love because it was seen as a last priority. Parents could bring the couple together but could not force them to marry.

Marriages were constructed to secure the families future. Since men had to fight to keep their social standing, finding a suitable bride was of utmost importance. It was necessary and extremely crucial for the bride to be well-kept, well-mannered, and to be of the same stature and social class as the man. When it came to royal marriages, personal happiness and economic survival was a last priority. Rather, the future of the kingdom was at stake, therefore the marriages were arranged by royal diplomats.

The blessings of the Church were extremely crucial to the marriage of any couple. The union between two people was not considered valid unless the marriage rituals were sanctioned by the church. Couples could get marriaed anywhere; pubs, hedgeways, or a church, and the marriage was still considered valid as long as the rituals were sanctioned by the church. The most important part was the blessing of the bed. Since having children meant the continuation of the family name, sex was necassary. The bed was to be blessed, therefore couples could have sex without sin and fear of damnation.