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Announcing weddings in the Middle Ages was a complex affair. While marriage was a simple process for Christians in Western Europe, requiring only the consent of the two people involved, proving the marriage was legally binding was more challenging. The church controlled marriage laws, but couples did not need to marry in a church or have a priest officiate the ceremony. To announce their intention to marry, couples would participate in a Crying the Banns ceremony, where their plans were announced in church three Sundays in a row. This allowed any objections to be raised, such as the couple being too closely related or religious vows being broken. Wedding notices were also posted on church doors for the lower classes, giving anyone with issues a chance to speak up.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Weddings could take place anywhere, including on the road, in a pub, at a friend's house, or even in bed. For Christians, it was common to marry near churches or on the church door. |
| Participants | All that was required for a valid marriage was the mutual consent of the two people involved. Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex in the medieval period, so Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, generally considered to be 12 for women and 14 for men. |
| Announcement | A wedding notice would be posted on the church for the lower classes, allowing anyone with an issue to speak up. From 1215 onwards, a priest would publicly announce the upcoming wedding during a church service. |
| Clothing | Brides wore cosmetics and paid attention to plucking their hairline to achieve a high forehead, considered a standard of beauty at the time. Green was the colour of love, and blue the colour of purity, so these colours were popular choices. |
| Traditions | Rings were exchanged among the wealthy, while peasants often broke a coin in half. The custom of the garter also originated in the medieval period, with the bride's clothing being associated with good luck. |
| Reasons for Marriage | Most couples did not marry for love but for necessity or business. Arranged marriages were common, especially among the nobility, to exchange property or build business relationships. |
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What You'll Learn
Wedding attire: blue for purity, green for love
In the Middle Ages, blue symbolised several concepts and ideas. It was associated with the divine and represented loyalty, constancy, and harmony. In the early Middle Ages, blue played a minor role in the art and life of Europe. However, this changed between 1130 and 1140 when the Abbe Suger rebuilt the Saint Denis Basilica in Paris. Suger considered light to be the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit, so he installed stained glass windows coloured with cobalt, which, combined with the light from the red glass, filled the church with a bluish violet light. This colour became known as "bleu de Saint-Denis". In subsequent years, elegant blue stained glass windows were installed in other churches, including Chartres Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. In Italian Renaissance art, the finest available blue pigment, natural ultramarine, was often reserved for the robes of the Virgin Mary.
Green, on the other hand, had a dual nature in the Middle Ages. It was described in medieval minesongs as the colour of love, but it also represented demons, evil serpents, and poison. The association of green with fertility and unrestrained sexuality led to suspicion in a Christian context. However, green also symbolised hope and renewal in Christianity, and altars in Catholic churches are decorated with green cloths on Sundays.
The specific colours and fabrics that people wore in the Middle Ages were regulated by sumptuary laws, which dictated what was appropriate for different social classes. These laws underscored the role of colour in representing one's status and identity. While the specific attire of wedding guests in the Middle Ages is not always known, the bride's clothing was associated with good luck. Wedding guests would chase the bride at the end of the celebration to grab a scrap of her clothing to keep as a lucky charm.
In the medieval period, getting married was a simple process for Christians in western Europe. All a couple had to do was consent to the marriage, and they did not need the permission of their families or a priest to officiate. However, proving that a marriage had taken place could be challenging. While the church controlled marriage laws, couples did not need to marry in a church. Legal records show people getting married in various locations, such as on the road, in a pub, at a friend's house, or even in bed. Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex in the medieval period, so Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, generally considered to be 12 years old for women and 14 for men.
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Banns: read three times to announce intention to marry
The tradition of reading banns—a proclamation of an upcoming marriage—dates back to the 13th century. It was introduced as part of the 1215 changes to identify and address any impediments to the marriage before it took place. This was particularly important as, in the Middle Ages, problems discovered after the marriage could have serious consequences. Reading banns was an important rite, without which a marriage was considered null and void unless a marriage license was obtained.
Banns were traditionally announced and published in the home parishes of both parties on three Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation before the marriage. This was done to allow anyone with a canonical or civil legal objection to the marriage to speak up and prevent invalid marriages. Objections could include a pre-existing marriage, a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, or the couple being too closely related.
The banns were typically read from the pulpit during church services and were also published in the parish weekly bulletin. The priest would announce the banns of marriage, stating the names of the couple, their parishes, and asking anyone with an objection to speak up. This would be done on three consecutive Sundays before the wedding, with the couple present during the reading of the banns.
While the practice of announcing banns has faded in many places, it is still common in some churches and countries. For example, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland continues to practice the tradition unless the couple requests otherwise. In some places, the format and wording of the banns have been updated, but the legal substance remains the same.
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Location: no need for a church or priest
In the Middle Ages, marriage was a simple affair for Christians in Western Europe. All that was required for a valid, binding marriage was the consent of the two people involved. This meant that couples did not need to marry in a church or have a priest officiate the ceremony.
Legal records from the time show that people got married on the road, in pubs, at a friend's house, or even in bed. While the church controlled (or tried to control) marriage, it was not until the 16th century that marriages were required to be performed by a priest.
For the nobility, it was not necessary to get married in a church as long as the wedding was blessed by a priest. For the lower classes, a wedding notice would be posted on the church, allowing anyone with an issue with the marriage to speak up. This could include reasons such as the couple being too closely related or one of the parties breaking any religious vows.
The ceremony would then take place outside the church doors, with the man standing on the right side and the woman on the left, facing the door. After the ceremony, the couple would enter the church for a nuptial mass. While some couples chose to marry near churches to add spiritual weight to the proceedings, this still did not necessarily involve a priest.
While mutual consent was key, it was difficult to prove a marriage without documentation or witnesses. Wedding documents only became more official after the growth of the church's influence on marriage law. Before this, mutual consent and wedding consummation alone were considered a valid marriage contract.
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Dowries: a reason for lower-class families to arrange marriages
In the Middle Ages, marriage was a simple affair for Christians in Western Europe, requiring only the consent of the two parties involved. Legal records show that weddings took place in a variety of settings, from roadsides to pubs, and did not always require the presence of a priest. However, the church created and enforced marriage laws, and some couples chose to marry near churches or have a priest bless their union to add spiritual weight to the proceedings.
During this period, dowries, or marriage portions, were a common practice. Dowries were payments made by the bride's family to the groom's family and typically consisted of cash and movable goods, including livestock. The size of the dowry was expected to be proportional to the groom's social status, making it challenging for lower-class women to marry into upper-class families. For the upper and middle classes, dowries were considered an early payment of the daughter's inheritance. While dowries were not the only factor influencing marriage decisions, they could be a significant consideration, especially for lower-class families.
In the case of lower-class families, a substantial dowry could be a compelling reason to arrange a marriage. The prospect of receiving a sizeable dowry may have influenced the family's decision to arrange a marriage for their daughter, particularly if it offered the opportunity to marry into a higher social class. Arranged marriages were more common among the nobility, where they served to exchange property or strengthen business relationships. However, lower-class families may have also viewed dowries as a means of improving their social standing or economic stability through strategic marriage alliances.
While dowries could provide opportunities for lower-class families, they could also present challenges. If a family was too poor to afford a dowry, it could effectively prevent their daughter from ever marrying. In such cases, one option for the woman might be to become a mistress to a wealthier man or rely on the charity of wealthy parishioners who provided dowries for poor young women of good reputation. Additionally, complications could arise if a man died before his daughters were married, leaving uncertainty about the distribution of the dowry among his surviving children.
Overall, while dowries played a significant role in marriage decisions during the Middle Ages, their influence varied depending on social class and individual circumstances. For lower-class families, dowries could be both a burden and an opportunity, shaping the way they approached marriage arrangements and their potential for social mobility.
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Age: aristocratic children were often married off at puberty
In the Middle Ages, aristocratic children were often married off at puberty, with the age of consent being 12 for girls and 14 for boys. However, it is important to note that the concept of puberty during this period was different from today, as it typically occurred two to three years later in a person's life. This practice of early marriage was driven by the need to secure property and family alliances. While the average age of marriage was higher, in the middle twenties, noble houses often arranged marriages for their children at a young age.
The process of getting married in the medieval period was relatively simple for Christians in western Europe. According to the church's marriage laws, couples did not require the consent of their families or a priest to officiate the ceremony. All that was necessary was the mutual consent of the two individuals. This could take place anywhere, including on the road, at a friend's house, or even in bed. However, it is worth noting that legal records show that some couples chose to marry near churches or at their doors to add spiritual weight to the proceedings.
While the church controlled marriage laws, the nobility was not required to marry in a church as long as their union was blessed by a priest. In contrast, the lower classes would post a wedding notice on the church, allowing anyone with objections to speak up. These objections could include reasons such as the couple being too closely related or one of them breaking religious vows. The ceremony for the lower classes would then take place at the church doors or in the bride's family home, followed by a nuptial mass inside the church.
The wedding celebrations for the elite were grand affairs, typically held in a manor or castle. They included a magnificent feast, entertainment, and an abundance of drinks. While no formal invitations were sent out, the primary guests included residents of the manor or castle, individuals of the same social class, and relatives. These weddings were often arranged marriages, with little to no romantic backstory, and were driven by the need to exchange property or build business relationships.
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Frequently asked questions
In the Middle Ages, getting married was a simple process for Christians in Western Europe. Couples did not need their families' permission or a priest to officiate the wedding. They also did not need to marry in a church, and could get married wherever they pleased, as long as they had each other's consent. Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex, so Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, which was considered to be 12 for women and 14 for men.
A wedding notice would be posted on the church for the lower classes so that anyone with an issue with the marriage could speak up. For instance, if the couple was too closely related or if someone was breaking any religious vows, this was grounds to object to the marriage. From 1215 onwards, a priest would also publicly announce the wedding during a church service before the actual marriage, to give people a chance to come to the ceremony or object to the marriage.
There were no invitations sent out for weddings in the Middle Ages. The primary guests were those who lived at the residence, others of the same social class, and relatives. After the wedding, the couple and their families would have a large feast.
It was more common for those of lower social standing to marry for love, but arranged marriages were still common. Lower-class families might be swayed by a substantial dowry or landholdings to arrange their children's marriages, but it was far more common for nobility to have arranged marriages to exchange property or build business relationships.
