Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts

Monday, January 30, 2017

Love and marriage in medieval England

A medieval couple being married by a clergyman. Central miniature, folio 102v. Book IV by Henricus von Assia (13th century). Chapter Archive of Tarazona, Spain. (Photo by PHAS/UIG via Getty Images)




Getting married in the medieval period was incredibly simple for Christians living in western Europe – all they had to do was say their “I do’s” to each other. But, as Sally Dixon-Smith reveals, proving that you were actually married and had not tripped up on the many potential ‘impediments’ to marriage might be another thing altogether

Medieval marriage practice continues to influence ceremonies today – from banns the reading three times of your intention to marry to declaring vows in the present tense. Indeed, the word ‘wedding’ itself even dates from the period.  However, some things were very different…


In the Middle Ages, getting married was easy for Christians living in western Europe. According to the church, which created and enforced marriage law, couples didn’t need the permission of their families or a priest to officiate. However, while tying the knot could take a matter of moments, proving that you were wed often proved difficult. 

Although the church controlled – or tried to control – marriage, couples did not need to marry in a church. Legal records show people getting married on the road, down the pub, round at friends’ houses or even in bed. All that was required for a valid, binding marriage was the consent of the two people involved. In England some people did marry near churches to give greater spiritual weight to proceedings, often at the church door (leading to some rather fabulous church porches being added to earlier buildings), but this still did not necessarily involve a priest.  

Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex 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. When this law finally changed in England in the 18th century, the old rules still applied in Scotland, making towns just over the border, such as Gretna Green, a destination for English couples defying their families. 


Although the medieval church upheld freely given consent as the foundation of marriage, in practice families and social networks usually had a great deal of influence over the choice and approval of marriage partners. It was also normal at all levels of society to make some ‘pre-nup’ arrangements to provide for widow- and widowerhood and for any children. It was also expected that everyone would seek the permission of their lord, and kings consulted over their own and their children’s marriages. Marriage between people of different classes was particularly frowned on. 


The wedding of saints Joachim and Anne, considered to be the parents of Mary, the mother of God. Codex of Predis (1476). (Photo by Prisma/UIG/Getty Images)
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. A ‘present consent’ marriage did not have to be consummated in order to count. However, if the couple had agreed to get married at some point in the future and then had sex, this was seen as a physical expression of present consent. 

So, for engaged couples, having sex created a legally binding marriage. Consent could also be shown by giving and receiving an item referred to English as a ‘wed’. A ‘wed’ could be any gift understood by those involved to mean consent to marry but was often a ring.  A ‘wedding’ where a man gave a woman a ring and she accepted it created the marriage. 

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. The statutes issued by the English church in 1217–19 include 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 them, lest, while he thinks himself to be joking, he pledge himself to the burdens of matrimony”. The vast majority of marriage cases that came up before the courts were to enforce or prove that a marriage had taken place.

Marriage mix-ups bothered the clergy since, after much debate, theologians had decided in the 12th century that marriage was a holy sacrament. The union of a man and a woman in marriage and sex represented the union of Christ and the church, and this was hardly symbolism to be taken lightly. 

As God was the ultimate witness, it was not necessary to have a marriage witnessed by other people – though it was highly recommended to avoid any uncertainty. There was also a church service available, but it was not mandatory and the evidence suggests that only a minority married in church. Many of those couples were already legally married by word or deed before they took their vows in front of a priest.  


Divorce as we understand it today did not exist. The only way to end a marriage was to prove it had not legally existed in the first place. Christians could only be married to one person at a time and it was also bigamy if someone bound to the church by a religious vow got married. As well as being single and vow-free, you also had to be marrying a fellow Christian. Breaking these rules automatically invalidated the marriage.


The marriage feast at Cana, early 14th century. Below, in an initial letter 'S', the throwing overboard and casting up of Jonah. From the Queen Mary Psalter, produced in England. Illustration from School of Illumination, reproductions from manuscripts in the British Museum, Part III, English 1300 to 1350, (British Museum, Longmans, Green and Co, London, 1921). (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
There were also a number of other ‘impediments’ that should prevent a marriage going ahead, but might be waived in certain circumstances if the marriage had already taken place. Couples who were already related were not to marry. The definition of ‘family’ was very broad. Before 1215, anyone with a great-great-great-great-great-grandparent in common was too closely related to get married. As this rule was hard to enforce and subject to abuse – the sudden discovery of a long-lost relative might conveniently end a marriage – the definitions of incest were changed by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, reduced to having a great-great-grandparent in common. 

As well as blood kinship, other ties could also prohibit marriage. For instance, godparents and godchildren were not allowed to marry as they were spiritually related, and close ‘in-laws’ were also a ‘no-no’.

Reading the ‘banns’ was introduced as part of the 1215 changes to try to flush out any impediments before a marriage took place. Nevertheless, until the Reformation there was no ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’. 


It is difficult to know how many medieval people married for love or found love in their marriage. There was certainly a distinction between free consent to marry and having a completely free choice. What is clear is that the vast majority of medieval people did marry and usually remarried after they were widowed, suggesting that marriage was desirable, if only as the social norm.

Other articles on the same theme:





Story source: 
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Historyextra . Note: Materials may be edited for content and lengt

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

The man who is married 107 women. '' What I do is divine. It is my mission and I will keep doing this until the end of life '

Source: Buzz Nigeria
Mohammed Bello Abubakar is one of the most controversial figures in Nigeria. Husband of 92 years was married 107 women, 97 of them still being wives.

Belo came to fame in 2008 when the papers wrote about his marriage to 86 women and 150 for children. At that time, Muslim clerics accused him of violating their religious rules. The man was put before a choice, 82 women are divorced or suffer the consequences, according to Oddity Central. He refused, claiming that there is no rule in the Quran that prohibit marriage to more than four women, and that every man should be free to marry as many women as he wants.

Belo was arrested at the request of the local court, but was released on condition to keep only four wives. The man ignored the requirement of the court and then was married to other women, reaching a total of 107 of which 10 wives divorced him. Despite his age, Abubakar says that he wants to marry again,, What I do is divine. It is my mission and I will keep doing this until the end of life ''.

Belo advises men not to follow his example as a husband,, normal '' would not do 10 wives. He says he has managed to control on 97 women using divine power.

The most incredible aspect of his family is that none of the members has a fixed income. The man does not work and does not allow any wife to work

Other articles on the same theme:






Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Ten bizarre sexual rituals around the world.



In contemporary society, gender is not much a taboo, and virginity is not preserved until marriage. At least that happens in the modern world, but there are isolated communities and tribes bizarre sexual rituals today are hundreds of years old.

Ten of the most bizarre sex rituals around the world discover them below.

1. To prevent sex before marriage, members of several tribes in East Africa, cos young lips and leaves only a small opening for urine and they can remove blood during menstruation.

2. In Ghana, a tribe requires widows to cleanse the spirit by spending a night with a stranger.

3. In South Africa there is a polygamous society considers taboo sexual relations during the day. Its members avoid, however, have sex during storms, or having had a nightmare.

4. Northeastern Siberia there is a community that you can ask daughters to a special type of leather pants to protect their virginity until marriage.

5. A bizarre religious practice appeared in India, Babylon, Arabia, Africa and Greece since the 5th century BC Some women dedicated themselves gods and goddesses of fertility. These sex with priests or those who came to worship these deities. It happens even in temples.

6. In some communities it is customary Nepalese brothers marry the same wife, thus being forced to divide the land. The wife must have but a well thought and spend time with each of the brothers to avoid any outbursts of jealousy.

7. A tribe in Papua New Guinea used to leave their children to start their sexual life from a very early age. The girls started to have sex for 6-8 years, while the boys waited until 10-12 years. Although sex before marriage was not a problem before the tribe, however, was forbidden for young people to share a meal before they become husband and wife.

8. In a community of Mangaia, a small island in the South Pacific, the boys begin their sexual life of 13 years. They have sex with older women that teaches how to last longer during sex and how to please young.

9. A tribe in Cambodia built special shelters for girls when they become adolescents. Different guys spend their nights with them until they find the pair. Divorce is illegal.

10. In a community in Brazil, males compete among themselves to convince women to have sexual relations by giving them gifts and fish

Other articles on the same theme: