Ancient Roman marriages
Marriages in matrimonium iustum (a legal union) had three requirements: both partners must have coniubium, and age and consent. A valid marriage was very important because it would affect the inheritance rights of both the children produced and husband to wife/wife to husband inheritance. Coniubium was the right to marry (described further in the following section). Age refers to the fact the couple is expected to have reached puberty. Also it was acceptable for a man to marry a girl young enough to be his daughter or even granddaughter, but it was dishonorable if a woman married a younger man. Consent refers to the fact the final decision was ultimately up to the paterfamilias, but he would often refer to the bride's mother.There were also details such as incsestum (marriage between close relative) was a crime. There should be no difference in social standing between husband and wife. Nobility and wealth could make up for other shortcomings in a partner. Marriage was commonly used for political alliances. Character was much more important than good looks. There are several types of Roman marriage. Some marriages are legitimate, and others are just ways of life. Some
http://www.albany.edu/~jg1297/ancientwedding/romanwed.htm The bride's parents would hand the bride over to the groom if they thought all looked well. There would be some speech such as "Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia." The wedding ceremony could take place even if the groom was not present. He would send a letter as his part of the verbal exchange. The pronuba (matron of honor) would join the couple's hands. The new couple would offer up a sacrifice such as a pig. The marriage contract would then be signed by a number of witnesses. Wedding breakfast was eaten and gifts were given, and they planned the procession. are traditional (with coniubium and manus) and others are unconventional (without coniubium and manus). Both the husband and wife needed to have ius coniubium (the right to marry) for both the actual marriage and the children to be legitimate. Coniubium was granted in Roman citizenship as well as a special privilege for certain people. A Roman woman was usually under the guardianship of her paterfamilias her whole life. There were also a couple alternatives to marriage. Prostitution was one, but not for honorable women. Scortae, meretrices, or lupae (as they were often called) were usually foreigners who wore heavy makeup and flamboyant clothing. They registered with the aediles and paid taxes. They could work for a brothel owner (leno or lena) or work independently. Living as a courtesan was another alternative to marriage. Courtesans were mistresses that were usually of respectable Roman origin. They did not live with their lovers, but unlike prostitutes, only had one lover at a time. Confarreatio was the most traditional type of marriage. It was limited to patricians only whose parents had the same type of marriage. Wedding ceremonies were very elaborate and ten witnesses were present. The wo
Some common words found in the essay are:
Roman Marriage, Marriage Marriages, type marriage, husband's manus, husband wife, pass husband's, types roman marriage, pass husband's manus, passed husband's manus, wedding ceremony, types roman, free marriage, children produced, coniubium marry, passed husband's,
Approximate Word count = 1224
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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