Marriage (History)

Words or Gestures? Marriage Rituals in Renaissance Italy: Continuity and Change, 1400-1600, in: Regional Variations in Matrimonial Law and Custom in Europe, 1150- 1600, Ed. Korpiola, M. (Leiden: Brill, 2011), 275-287.

by Cecilia Cristellon

Co-authored with Silvana Seidel Menchi

“‘Personal’ Rituals: The Office of Ceremonies and Papal Weddings, 1483-1521”

by Jennifer Mara DeSilva

Published in Marriage in Premodern Europe: Italy and Beyond, ed. Jacqueline Murray (Toronto: Centre for Reformation & Renaissance Studies, 2012), pp. 47-71.

In the early modern period getting married was a mix of legal, religious, and social acts that altogether proclaimed... more In the early modern period getting married was a mix of legal, religious, and social acts that altogether proclaimed the union of two people, two families, and two sets of possessions. Although the Church had formally established marriage as a sacrament in 1439, through the sixteenth century the act of marrying retained this tripartite identity, even in papal Rome. From 1484 to 1521 there were eight weddings held at the Vatican Palace of variously the pope’s children or nieces/nephews. These unions had significant political importance, but also held an unusual place in the papal court’s ritual life. Within an environment that was predominantly male, celibate, and focused almost exclusively on liturgical ceremonies, the legal and lay social rituals of these weddings strike an illicit chord. This paper will examine the papal Master of Ceremonies’ (Johann Burchard and Paris de’ Grassi) reactions to these weddings over five pontificates.

Marriage in Russia: A Complex Phenomenon Poorly Understood

by Avdeev Alexandre

Co-authored with Alain Monnier, published 'Population: An English Selection'
Vol. 12, 2000, p. 7-49

In very many European countries, marriage has been evolving considerably for a number of decades. One often observes... more In very many European countries, marriage has been evolving considerably for a number of decades. One often observes increasingly late first marriage, a rise in celibacy, a strong increase in the frequency of divorce (when permitted by law), the development of cohabitation outside marriage and an increase in births outside marriage. In Russia, the age on first marriage fell continuously from 1960 to 1990; only over the last few years has the trend reversed and most of the changes just mentioned are now present, with the exception of just one: cohabitation outside marriage, which housing problems prevent from developing as a substitute for marriage. The authors of this article analyse the various aspects of marriage in Russia over the past forty years.

England’s “Problem” with Shar’ia by Kristina Benson

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

A recent occurrence in the recent Islamic legal history of England involves women’s use of Shar’ia law to protect... more A recent occurrence in the recent Islamic legal history of England involves women’s use of Shar’ia law to protect their autonomy, marital security, and property rights. Beginning in September 2008, decisions made by Shari’a councils in Britain became legally binding due to a new application of the 1996 Arbitration Act. Much as Jewish Beth Din courts and Quaker courts, had been doing for over a century, over 84 Shar’ia councils could begin to act as “arbitration tribunals,” making legally binding decisions about issues pertaining to marriage, divorce, inheritance, and custody. Scholars and political observers alike immediately voiced concern that Muslim women would be treated unfairly in these councils, or, alternative, claimed that the continued use of these councils was further evidence of cultural separatism, or an unwillingness to assimilate (See McKinstry).

La struttura del matrimonio romano

by Roberto Fiori

in "Bullettino dell'Istituto di diritto romano Vittorio Scialoja" 105 (2011) pp. 197-234

The iustae nuptiae were the archetypal Roman marriage, but not the only with juridical relevance: the Romans... more The iustae nuptiae were the archetypal Roman marriage, but not the only with juridical relevance: the Romans considered to some extents 'marriage' also those unions which respected neither ius civile nor the leges, and even concubinate had a juridical structure. The difference between these two institutions was that only the first implied a condivision of dignitas by the couple, while both were opposed to other relationships for being stable unions. The commonly held distinction between legal and social/ethical rules and its application to ancient cultures show in this matter all their limits.

Legge, matrimonio, società. Incontro con Charles Donahue jr. In: Rivista Storica Italiana, 3 (2011), 1130-1179.

by Cecilia Cristellon

Co-authored with Silvana Seidel Menchi

El matrimonio antes del Concilio de Trento en la República de Venecia, in: I. Arellano, J. M. Usunaríz (ed.), El matrimonio en Europa y en el mundo hispánico: siglos XVI y XVII, Madrid: Visor Libros, 2005, 187-195.

by Cecilia Cristellon

La sposa in convento (Padova e Venezia 1455-1458), in: S. Seidel Menchi, D. Quaglioni (ed.), Matrimoni in dubbio. Unioni controverse e nozze clandestine in Italia dal XIV al XVIII secolo, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2001, 123-148.

by Cecilia Cristellon

Ursina Basso contro Alvise Soncin: il "consilium" respinto di Bartolomeo Cipolla e gli atti del processo (Padova e Venezia 1461-1462), in: S. Seidel Menchi, D. Quaglioni (ed.), Matrimoni in dubbio. Unioni controverse e nozze clandestine in Italia dal XIV al XVIII secolo, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2001, 279-303.

by Cecilia Cristellon

I processi matrimoniali veneziani. In: Tribunali del matrimonio (secoli XV-XVIII), Hg. Seidel Menchi, S., Quaglioni, D. (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2006), 101-122.

by Cecilia Cristellon

התפתחויות וחידושים במעמד האישה – עדותם של הסכמי שידוכין ואירוסין מן הגניזה הקהירית

by Amir Ashur

Marriage and Consent in Pretridentine Venice: Between Lay Conception and Ecclesiastical Conception, 1420-1545. In: The Sixteenth Century Journal, 39, 2008, 389-418.

by Cecilia Cristellon

The main sources of this article are 750 matrimonial trials discussed before the ecclesiastical court in Venice... more The main sources of this article are 750 matrimonial trials discussed before the ecclesiastical court in Venice (1420-1545). This article analyzes the differing conceptions of marriage held by the laity and by the ecclesiastical hierarchy as these ideas were expressed in a dialectical relationship in court. Central to this analysis is the concept of consent, since consent, with widely differing interpretations, formed the foundation and the essence of both canonical and lay customary marriage. In the pre-Tridentine ecclesiastical court, custom played a leading role in deciding matters related to the marriage bond. These sources allow access to aspects of marriage that are usually not recorded and make it possible to reevaluate social phenomena which have been defined from a post-Tridentine perspective as transgressive. Practices such as bigamy, concubinage, and stuprum appear not as deviant, but as part of socially accepted marital behavior that is much broader and more heterogeneous than historians have appreciated.

Does the Priest Have to Be There? Contested Marriages Before Roman Tribunals. Italy, Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries. In: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaften, 3, 2009, 10-30.

by Cecilia Cristellon

The Council of Trent established the requirements that a marriage be celebrated by the parish priest and two or more... more The Council of Trent established the requirements that a marriage be celebrated by the parish priest and two or more witnesses be present at the marriage (1563), but neglected to specify who the parish priest was. The decrees provoked confusion among both laymen and churchmen. Traces thereof can be found in the hitherto essentially unexplored documentation of The Congregation of the Council. This institution was founded in 1564 specifically to resolve the questions that arose all over the catholic world by the application of the decrees promulgated at Trent. The related records are held in the Vatican Secret Archive. Through an examination of this documentation, complemented by files of the Holy Office the author analyzes how the new rules were understood, experienced, used, circumvented, and manipulated both by laymen and churchmen in order to end an unwanted marriage, to facilitate a union that was socially transgressive, opposed by family, or even heterodox, and to respond to pastoral concerns.

הגנה על זכויות האישה על-פי הסכמי נישואין מן הגניזה הקהירית ומקורות ערביים מקבילים

by Amir Ashur

Materfamilias

by Roberto Fiori

in "Bullettino dell'Istituto di Diritto romano 'Vittorio Scialoja" 96-97 (1993-1994) pp. 455-498 (publ. 1996)

The sources give different meanings for 'materfamilias': 'woman in manu', 'woman sui iuris', 'woman who follows the... more The sources give different meanings for 'materfamilias': 'woman in manu', 'woman sui iuris', 'woman who follows the boni mores', 'wife'. This has led most scholars to believe that the title had no juridical value. In my opinion, the proper meaning of the expression was 'woman not subject to a patria potestas' (i.e., most of the times, the wife of a pater familias), and therefore it implied a specific juridical status. It was from this primary meaning that the secondary meanings of 'wife' and 'honest woman' evolved.

Publicidad y libertad en el matrimonio: autoridad paterna y dispensa de amonestaciones en Lima, 1600-1650

by Pilar Latasa

J. Mª Usunáriz y R. García Bourrellier (ed.), Padres e hijos ante el matrimonio: España y el Mundo Hispánico (siglos XVI-XVIII), Madrid, Visor Libros, 2008, pp. 53-67.

Se estudian las causas que llevaron a pedir dispensa de amonestaciones ante el tribunal eclesiástico de Lima a pesar... more Se estudian las causas que llevaron a pedir dispensa de amonestaciones ante el tribunal eclesiástico de Lima a pesar de ser un requisito tan claramente explicitado por Trento? En este trabajo se hace una aproximación a aquellas relacionadas con la coerción ejercida sobre los novios por parte de sus padres y parientes. Esta primera aproximación al tema nos permite afirmar que la mayor parte de las veces, la oposición familiar vino motivada por el rechazo hacia un matrimonio socialmente «desigual».

La promesa de una farsanta: teatro y matrimonio en Lima, siglo XVII

by Pilar Latasa

El teatro en la Hispanoamérica colonial, I. Arellano y J. A. Rodríguez Garrido (eds.), Madrid, Iberoamericana, 2008, pp. 145-166.

Estudio de un pleito por incumplimiento de la promesa de matrimonio promovido por la actriz María de Torres Tamayo en... more Estudio de un pleito por incumplimiento de la promesa de matrimonio promovido por la actriz María de Torres Tamayo en 1646 ante el tribunal eclesiástico de la archidiócesis de Lima. Su análisis permite confirmar el prejuicio existente en el mundo hispánico del Siglo del Oro hacia las mujeres que desempeñaban esta profesión.

La celebración del matrimonio en el virreinato peruano: disposiciones sinodales de Charcas y Lima (1570-1613)

by Pilar Latasa

El matrimonio en Europa y el mundo hispánico. Siglos XVI y XVII, Ignacio Arellano y Jesús Mª Usunáriz (eds.), Visor Libros, Madrid, 2005, pp. 237-256.

En este trabajo se analiza la plasmación que la nueva regulación canónica sobre la celebración del matrimonio tuvo en... more En este trabajo se analiza la plasmación que la nueva regulación canónica sobre la celebración del matrimonio tuvo en las actas sinodales de las dos principales archidiócesis del virreinato peruano: Lima y La Plata. Con ese fin, se han analizado las constituciones de los sínodos reunidos entre 1570 y 1613 dentro de las diócesis dependientes entonces de estas dos grandes jurisdicciones eclesiásticas; es decir, las del Cuzco, Quito, Trujillo, Arequipa, Huamanga, Popayán, Panamá, Santiago de Chile y La Imperial, Tucumán, Asunción, La Paz y Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

A Troubled Experiment's Forgotten Lesson in Racial Integration

by Carina Ray

A version of this op-ed was first published in the Point Reyes Light in March 2012: http://www.ptreyeslight.com/Point_Reyes_Light/Opinion/Entries/2012/3/15_A_troubled_experiments_forgotten_lesson_in_racial_integration.html

A Legal Query in Judaeo-Arabic concerning a Bashful Bride

by Amir Ashur