0
Most medieval women wanted to marry, and a dowry made a woman more attractive. Even the serf women had dowries, which were their hope chests and the money they could save as they waited to marry. The time that was used saving was often several years, and was one of the reasons why medieval peasant women tended to marry rather late, in their mid twenties. The benefit of the dowry was to the couple, and the dowry often included things that were mostly of interest to women; in later times this might have included table linen, curtains, china, and tableware.
Peasant men brought to their marriage a proven ability to provide for a family, and this also meant they had to put off marriage to about the same age, mid twenties.
Still curious? Ask our experts.
Chat with our AI personalities
Ezra
Devin
MaxineYes, and this was really true for the nobles. A dowry included money and land. A good example is Eleanor of Aquitaine when she married Henry. She came into the marriage with Aquitaine and used it through the years as a tool for her needs. It gave her power and also a means to take it back or to give. Most noble marriages were not for love, but for power and land or a means to forge an alliance.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What was the common age for marriage in the Middle Ages?
Answer14 was the common age for marriage during the middle ages. AnswerA common age for marriage in the times for which we have records was about 25. The common wisdom of today is that marriages of that time were done at a very young age. I have spent a good deal of time trying to find out the truth on this issue, and aside from the marriages of members of royalty and the high nobility, I was unable to find anything that agreed with the idea of early marriage being normal for ordinary people.Members of royal families were often betrothed as part of arranged marriages at a very early age. This was not done too early, because the death of a child was a common occurrence, and would require a new diplomatic effort. So a common minimum age to negotiate a marriage might have been six or eight, but the marriage would take place much later, as it was pointless to marry before the age of 14 to 16.The Church was not happy about arranged marriages and took positions against them from time to time. Religious leaders were also surprisingly open to the idea that such a marriage be easily annulled if either partner wanted out.But ordinary marriages were another matter as 80% to 90% of the laity were people with no property and little in the way of aspirations. These people's marriages were based on common attraction in most of the peasant cultures of Europe. They were not normally done in church, during the Middle Ages, and required neither a priest nor a witness. A marriage consisted of a man and a woman declaring marriage to each other and consummating it. In some places, they had the option of registering the marriage in the local church. And from the parish records, we have an average age of about 25.There is a good deal of sense in this. Before a marriage, a young man had to prove he could provide a living for a family, and a young woman had to collect a dowry, small as it might be, to start family life on.Please go to the link below for more information.
What are the advantages of being a lady in medieval times?
pro:You had the possibility to help people rather directly as there were more little towns. cons: You had to be very careful about what you said in front of the nobility. They were often beaten up and made to go to a nunnery. While all of these elements did play a role in life in the Middle Ages, they were far from the everyday life men and women lived at the time.
During the centuries of Roman history from Republic to Empire the paterfamilias' authority?
You do not actually say what you want with your question. You just make a statement. Pater familias means father of the family in Latin. It referred to the oldest man in the family being the head of the household. He had complete control over the whole family. He was the proprietor of the assets of the household, had sole legal right to carry out household property transactions and was responsible for household debts. He had authority over all household members. He also had responsibilities to his family and the community. He had the duty to ensure the moral propriety of his household and maintain its well-being, raise healthy children and honour the ancestral god of the family. He had the power of life and death over family members, but it was seldom exercised. The authority (podestas) he had over his wife depended on the form of marriage they contracted. In the Early Republic in a marriage cum manus (with hand) the wife was 'handed over from the podestas of her father to that of her husband. If the man divorced her, her dowry went back to her and her family. By the Late Republic this type of marriage was rare and the woman remained part of her family. Women could be emancipated from the potestas of a paterfamilias and were legally independent (sui juris) but had a male guardian appointed to them. The filii familias (children on the family) remained under the podestas of their father and could not acquire the rights of a pater familias while he lived. Any property they acquired was for the family estate. The pater familias had the power to sell his children into slavery, but if a child had been sold as a slave three times, he was free from his posestas. The sons succeeded to the status of pater familias over their own households (pater familias sui iuris) when the father died even if they were only in their teens. Children emancipated by a pater familias were effectively disinherited. Over time, the authority of the pater familias decreased. His rights became theoretical and were not enforced. The power over life and death was abolished, the right of punishment was moderated, and the sale of children was restricted to cases of extreme necessity.
In the middle ages the nobles what were their daily jobs?
Nobles had to look after peasants and make sure the bills and payments to the King were made. They also had to discuss laws and have various meetings with the King in the great hall and the inform the Knights.
What was the role of women during the middle ages?
The stereotype of women in the middle ages as subservient housewives is misleading. The idea of women being married off by their father was true, but it was more often true for noblewomen than for lower class. Also, one must keep in mind that while money and children played a part in the marriage, most parents kept their daughter's best interests in mind, and did not merely marry them off to any fool on the street. Many women did love their husbands. Yes, there were plenty of political marriages, but there were plenty of good marriages, as well.While many of the attitudes of the time were misogynist compared to today, the idea that women merely cooked and cleaned all day is simply false. Most women had to work in order for their families to survive, and even noblewomen usually managed the servants and often worked as part of their husband's businesses.Throughout most of history, women worked. The housewife stereotype is mostly an early modern concept that would be popularized again in the 19th century.Women during the Middle Ages were nuns, artisans, wives, mothers, and some held roles in leadership.
