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Marriage
By Madeline | January 6, 2008
For a period in history that was so laden with romance and sonnets, it’s surprising that so many marriages were loveless. Or perhaps that is why the romance and sonnets came about to compensate for the longing for love that seemed so unattainable (for those faithful to their spouses that is!).
Marriages among the nobles were arranged by their parents. The couple to be rarely knew one another and sometimes did not even see one another for the first time until the actual day of their wedding. As the average life expectancy for a woman was around 30, it was important for couples to wed young and were usually around 16 when they married. In fact, girls could be married at 12 and boys at 14 although both had to live with their parents until they were 16. Even at the age of 16, I can’t imagine being able to take on the responsibility of a household! I suppose times were just different then though and you did what was expected of you.
The wedding night for most of these marriages must have been very uncomfortable from an emotionally standpoint. Imagine having never met a man/woman before until you actually are in front of the altar, knowing that within a few hours you will be placed in a bed together and left to have sex. Awkward! No wonder so many marriages were miserable. I’m sure a lot of deep seeded hatred stemmed from the actions on the wedding night.
Once wed, women had a very simple life of what was expected of them, though it consumed their lives: obey their husbands, run their households and bear children. Some men were abusive to their wives and there were no laws to protect them.
Looking back, I can’t help but wonder how many divorces would have occurred between those arranged couples. Additionally, I wonder what the difference of those couples divorce rates versus the couples today who have chosen to marry one another and ended up divorced would be.
Topics: Tudor Era |
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