Weddings of the Middle Ages
As the ages have past weddings have changed, the most interesting weddings took place in the middle ages. Middle ages were full of mystery and lust, women were not merely wives but prizes and a possession, rarely was it love. The reasons of which people were married was determined by their class. Most of the marriage laws we know today evolved during this era. The celebrations were extravagant, full of color and magnificent entertainment and exquisite feasts, radical compared to prior ages. The middle ages were truly a turning point as weddings evolved.
The major difference between the weddings of the Middle Ages and now was the motives and reasoning behind them. Medieval marriage ceremonies depended on the social class of the two to be married. People of the middle ages were grouped into two groups the noble class and the peasants. The nobles cared about their name and there social stature thus arranging marriages for their children was commonly known. The children would have a set spouse by the age of ten or eleven. The main reason for this practice was to keep success and the acquisition of wealth in families. The marriages were matters of business rather then love. This was not so true with the peasants; peasants’ marriages were more sincere or would take place due to a pregnancy. Unlike weddings today they depended on who you were rather then who you wished to be or wish to be married to.
After your bride or grooms were chosen for you many preparations would take place. The ceremony about to take place would be the biggest one you had seen unless you had been to other weddings. Many meetings between the two families would take place as more arrangements were made. The next few weeks would be a time of excitement and wonder. Not only have you not seen your future spouse but you might not have even been given the chance to know his her name, the reason for this is unsure. Depending on family and other factors you may have been given the chance to see your future spouse six or five days prior to the wedding. During the middle ages the custom was known to be celebrated in castles and courtyards as long as a priest blessed the bride and groom. In ages prior to the Middle Ages weddings could not take place anywhere but the churches. As time proceeded the Catholic Church gave more room in regards to where the...
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...a connection then prior almost a bonding of two families. As we get into the meaning behind certain practices and gifts we can see that they aren’t just for the future couple but many processes and meaning are behind them.
Weddings today are much more different then marriages of the past. Many of the customs from then have made their way to this era but also many haven’t. we can see many differences and also many similarities. The biggest difference is the control of marriages and the arranged marriages that took place. In today’s culture we are not grouped by social stature as they were then, our marriages are based on love not class. I think this is a good thing and I am happy to be blessed by God to be able to have the freedom of choice in something as important and life changing as a marriage.
In conclusion we can see times have changed. The middle ages were interesting in context but not as interesting to live out. We can learn a lot from the culture of the middle ages. I am very interested on how things have changed and notice some of the similarities. I am blessed to live in such an awesome era and happy to have the opportunity to learn about such a interesting one.
Weddings were always a religious ceremony, conducted by a minister. The religions varied but the legal process prior to the wedding was always the same. There were no Registry Office marriages or marriages conducted by a Justice of the Peace. The first stage was Crying the Banns, announcing a couple's intention to marry. The same procedure still applies to Church marriages in England today. The Elizabethan Wedding custom dictated that the couple's intention to marry had to be announced in the church three times on three consecutive Sundays or Holy days. This allowed time for any objections to be raised or pre-contracts to be discovered. Any marriage not published beforehand was considered clandestine and illegal. Wedding invitations were not issued. People lived in small communities
Marriage was something that was to benefit both families in the 1500-1600s. It was considered foolish to marry for love, and with permission from parents boys were allowed to be married at 14 and girls at 12. It was recommended that males didn’t marry before 22 and girls before 18. Single women were thought to be witches.
Rings were common mainly among the richer parts of society, who could afford such a token. Mary Queen of Scots sent a diamond ring to Thomas Duke of Norfolk to indicate her willingness to marry him. However, peasants would give smaller tokens or none at all. It was usually the case that everyone in a village knew who was married, so no symbol was necessary. In the case that a man wishes to break a wedding contract, he must give back double all of the tokens he has received, usually a collection of small items. This made it even less practical for the poorer people in society to give rings.
It was also common for richer families to marry off their daughters sooner than poorer families. This was because poorer families needed as much help doing work as they could. Women had no choice in deciding who they got married to, and once married they would be controlled by their husband (Trueman, “Medieval Women”).
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance period marriage and love were idealized, divine and celebrated. Weddings were large events that included the entire families of both the groom and the bride. Reality was different; women were viewed as being fickle, inferior to men and a possession of men. Women had very little, if any, choice in who they would marry. Marriages were arranged so that both families would benefit in gaining wealth or power. Even though the ruler of England for over 4 decades was female, women were still not respected. Women were kept at home and not allowed to take place in public events. In Shakespeare’s Richard III, male and female relationships are displayed as deeply cynical and are based on lies, lust and political gain.
Weddings are a public way to show the joining of two people; however, during the Elizabethan Era weddings weren’t always the same because of the class of the bride and groom. The difference between nobles and non-nobles determined the age of marriage for many, along with the location because different regions would have different ceremonial orders.
Before the eighteenth century, marriage was far less complicated. Verbal consent and consumation constituted legal marriage: "once the knot was tied by such verbal exchanges it could not be undone: a valid marriage was technically indissoluble. Such vows could be made, moreover, by boys the age of fourteen and girls of twelve" (Outhwaite xiii).
In conclusion, with the various events that occurred during the Middle Ages, they all show that they developed social, economic and political changes throughout Europe. Although it may have taken a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, the change brought the flourishing age of Renaissance. From the night in shiny armor, comes the flowering of literature, science, art, religion, politics, and most importantly, knowledge by learning.
During those times most women remained at home and had to wait to get marry, while men were in
Each of these women was married, and so it is the first part that should be compared. Marriage, in the Early Modern Period, allowed for women to have security outside of their parent’s home. Depending on location, women would usually get married in their mid-late teens, completed housework, and produced children. Once under their husband’s domain if these women did not become sick or die in childbirth, the quality of their life depended on the relationship they had with their husbands. In the cases of Glikl bas Judah Lieb, Marie de I’Incarnation and Maria Sibylla Merian, their marriages dictated their level of success and position in society.
Firstly, in both times it was required to have a marriage license to get married. During the Elizabethan times you could get a marriage license if you wanted to make the marriage process go quicker. Now, it is required to have a marriage license to legally get married. Secondly, then and now the wedding has been an all day event starting with the marriage ceremony and a celebration after. After the bride and groom got married, there would be a great celebration often including a feast and a dance. Thirdly, in present day the bridesmaids show up at the bride's house and they all get ready together. This also happened during the Elizabethan times. The brides would wear white to their wedding, as most still do. There are many similarities when it comes to marriage customs between the two time periods that are
Marriage typically posed as a business transaction, more common within the wealthy, and girls were to marry men twice their
Finally after what seemed like years, I walked out to greet my new father-in-law and my new wife. I shook his hands as he gave away his youngest daughter to start our own family, and then I reached out for the arm of my bride. Together we walked the rest of the way down the aisle and stood in front of the pastor’s
The ancient wedding ceremonies would usually start after it got dark. The bride would go to the groom’s house while standing in a chariot. The groom would then get into the chariot, while friends and family would follow it on foot carrying gifts, torches, and playing music to scare away evil spirits. The Greeks have many ways to ward off evil; wear garlic around their neck, play music, make the sign of the cross behind the ear with soot or dirt, etc. They also “knock on wood” to guard against evil and misfortune. Many people in today’s society do this. During the wedding ceremony the rings are placed on the bride and groom’s right hand, then the rings are exchanged three times by the Koumbar. The rings are exchanged three times to show the significance of the holy trinity. Then the bride would eat a piece of fruit to signify that she will provide food and other basic needs to her husband. Next, the couple would engage in a short fight, to show the groom’s strength. After the fight, the groom would toss his bride over his shoulder and carry her out of the church. Having a wedding reception was rare but when a bride and groom did have one, it was best known for the abundance of food, the dancing, and
Marriages were arranged. Because girls lived such sheltered lives, they usually had never even met the men their fathers agreed for them to marry. Men were mostly in their twenties when they got married, the girls were usually 15.