Renaissance Marriage(gold) florina gold currency. ROUGHLY $45. Joan Kelly

Joan Kelly wrote an article called Did women have a Renaissance? The research says no. The Renaissance didnt really improve their lot in life, and may have actually made it WORSE (note, she was looking at the nobility. For peasant women, nothing just really changed. Just like for peasant men). Medieval noble women usually married warlords who were usually Out Fighting, meaning that they got left to manage and defend the holdings, which gave them some respect and power. By the Renaissance, stuff is more stable, so warlords are Out Fighting less, which means that women get left in positions of responsibilities less (which means they got less respect).

Aristotle came up with some polar opposites

SunMoon

RightLeft

Aquinas (big deal Christian intellectual: Dominican monk at Paris University; principle theologian of the Catholic Church for a LONG LONG LONG LONG time. REALLY long. added

MenWomen

SpiritFlesh

articulating the body/soul dichotomy in Christian thought. Very different from Daoist yin/yang (male/female separate forces, part of each other, each contains a particle of the other). So, women are being characterized by their biological function, and being tied to the flesh/materialism, whereas men are tied toward spiritualism (and spiritual perfection). Which hella marginalizes women. This has a trickle-down effect, and reinforces long-standing Judeo-Christian attitudes towards women, and leads to all kinds of stereotyping. Theres 2 ways for men to see women: as the other half of the same whole, and as something completely alien. This system backs up that second view. Which leads to stereotyping. Which leads all kinds of bad places.

And all of this dovetails nastily into the Adam and Eve (and Lilith, who we shall now ignore by professorial decree) story. I know the story: God makes Eve from Adams rib, smooth-talking snake talks Eve into eating forbidden fruit and sharing with Adam, God gets pissed and throws all three of them out on their ear: Serpent gets to crawl on his belly in the dust (and not talk anymore), Eve gets to give birth in pain, and Adam gets to have to be a farmer (which is hella work). Medieval Judeo-Christian understanding of this is that it was all Eves fault. And social perception of women is that Women = Eve, with all her flaws (gullibility, willfulness/disobedience, easy to seduce, seductress). So, yeah, bad bad rap. And thats BEFORE we add Aquinas crap to it.

So now Renaissance attitudes are even worse. As an example: from a legal perspective, women during the Renaissance have pretty much no inheritance rights. At all. There are some places where they cant own property at all! And most of the others have all kinds of restrictions on that property ownership. Very limited rights in legal proceedings: in England, women can only testify in open court if she witnessed an assault on her husband; from a legal perspective, shes basically a minor. To put it all in perspective, there was an actual article where a Renaissance scholar was debating whether or not women had a soul (read: was human). He lost (so Women won), but still. And then we have the Dignity of Man guy. He was all man is a cut above the angels, but he meant men. His thoughts on women were basically they suck: A women is like a chamberpot. Piss in her and put her away. Yeah.

Women arent allowed in universities, but a few get educations via tutors. A few of those turn out as writers, some of who write, pointedly, about the situation of women in their times. And theyre not happy about it. Female artists are also hella rare (artists, after all, are disreputable). The perception of Women Acting on Stage was as low as it got (which is why young boys played female roles in Shakespearean-era plays). As it turns out, denying half the population access to higher education causes advancements to creep along.

So, yeah, sucks to be a woman in the renaissance. Although we might suspect it wasnt as bad At Home (though, due to literacy rates, we cant exactly PROVE that).

A quick reminder: at the START of class, and RIGHT NOW (Renaissance) all (first?) marriages are arranged. It aint about romance: its an alliance b/t two families, for political, economic, and social goals. And to produce babies.

A relevant topic: Dowry practices: In Europe, theres basically two (one at any given time). Middle ages: Germanic practice: A Dowry is an exchange of goods (movable or immovable) between two families (From the Grooms family to the Brides family) that is part of a marriage contract. In the late 12th to early 13th century, dowry practices change in Europe to Roman practices. Roman dowry practices are the opposite of that. Goods go from the Brides family to the Grooms family. To be strictly accurate, both systems are a transaction b/t two fathers. So, basically women go from if you want my daughter, youre gonna have to pay for her to I will pay you to take my daughter off my hands. So, yeah, the German Barbarians valued their women more than the Romans or than Renaissance Europeans. So, who are the real barbarians, man? (Everybody, because neither of them spoke Hellenistic Greek. Yes, thats the origin of the term; the ancient Greeks thought all other languages sounded like BARBARBARBAR.)One more detail: the Europeans are really really stupid re: thinking how reproduction works: They dont get Ladyparts, so they just assume that men are doing everything, and women are just incubators. But they (women) still get blamed when marriages produce no children. LOGIC. HOW DO I DO?Marriage practices, focusing on the mercantile class in Renaissance Florence

Church fathers concluded that Marriage was one of the 7 sacraments of the church (because something Paul said), which meant they needed a theology of marriage. Being a bunch of celibate guys, they punted it down the road to their medieval counterparts, who, despite being no better equipped, came up with a functional sacramental theology of marriage (not a particularly GOOD one though). The important part: What makes a Christian Marriage? Two theories:

Copula theory: Argues that what makes a Christian marriage is sexual intercourse. A bit of an odd conclusion for celibate theologians.

Consensus theory: What makes a Christian marriage is the willing consent of both partners. Seems a tad ironic when combined with arranged marriages, but whatever.

Consensus eventually wins out, but in terms of Renaissance Marriage, both MATTER in the discussion of Renaissance marriage.This is the time when the marriage age gap in Europe is as bad as it gets: 14-15 year old daughters are usually getting married off to men half their age. Why? Well, the men have to learn the family business from the ground up (after university or stuff), and arent allowed to marry until their family concludes that theyve mastered the business, and that takes time. Meanwhile, the daughters are considered fit to marry at 14/15, due to the really really bad mortality rate for kids (50% infant, 40% 1-4 years old). Since kids are the point of the marriage (to solidify a social, political, or economic deal), birthing opportunities of daughters have to be maximized, which means marrying em off young. And, since theyre not physically mature, the graveyards are full of em (death in childbirth and all that). BUT, if they live through that, they outlive their husbands by a LOT. So this system produces a lot of widows. (note: this age disparity is mostly a mercantile thing: peasants, for example, marry off ALL their kids at 16).Marriage is a 4-step process

1. Impalmamentofamily takes a 14 year old daughter they decide is ripe for marriage. They dont have anyone in mind, but they want an optimal match. So, they hire a sensale (basically a matchmaker, usually male). His job is to track down the best marriage prospect for this family (politically/economically/socially, of course). He finds someone, and tells the future brides family (after approaching the future grooms family). So then representatives of both families (not the parents) meet with the sensale to discuss the feasibility of the match. Also present is a notary (the closest thing they have to a lawyer; he read the law at university). They produce a scritta, which is basically a record of whats transpired (at this meeting and the next). If they determine that it is, they inform the respective parents, who then meet and get down to business. The dowry will probably come up, but it wont be set down in fine print. During this, the notary gets involved. Once an agreement is reached, they shake hands (much bigger deal than the document). Messengers are then sent to the groom (who is not party to these proceedings) and the home of the bride, telling them that its a done deal. Then the groom goes to the brides house bearing gifts (usually jewelry). In exchange, her household gives him an outstanding meal. Its symbolism: jewelry = his ability to take care of her. Awesome Meal (servants directed by her make it)= her ability to take care of him and maintain their household. Note: terms of scritta were probably agreed to be kept secret.

2. Giurethis is usually when the terms of the scritta are unveiled. All male gathering: bride and grooms male family members, the groom, their kin, and their friends. Once everybody shows up, the brides father and the groom exchange promises. The brides father (1) promises to give his daughters hand in marriage and (2) promises to secure his daughters consent to the marriage (see consensus theory; this is basically a dodge to prevent the next step from falling apart; if she doesnt consent and appeals to the bishop or archbishop, hell put the kibosh on the whole thing). The groom makes just one promise: he promises that he will take the girl in marriage within the specified timeframe (specified within the scritta). THIS is the moment when people can raise an objection (like the grooms already married or the girls not a virgin (which usually leads to how do you know that? and a stabbing)). At this point, both families appoint a guarantor and an arbiter (one for each family). The arbiters have to hammer out the terms of the dowry. The guarantors are basically (male) wedding planners; they organize the festivities (steps 3 and 4). Once all thats done, its time for everybody to get their drink on!3. Ring Day/matrimoniumhome of the bride, everybodys invited (and the brides family has to feed em all). The notary brings forward the bride and groom and ask them if they consent to the union, which they do publically (to meet church requirements). Then he presents the brides right hand to the groom. He then puts a ring on the ring finger of her right hand. And now theyre legally married. And so, the feasting happens. And the grooms family gives a buncha presents to the brides family. Note: the Church hasnt been involved yet (except maybe as a guest): its basically a civil ceremony. Sometimes the couple goes to mass on this day (Thursday and Sunday are the most popular for that), but only if they feel like it. Sometimes the families shove the newlyweds into a nearby bedroom to consummate the marriage right then and there. Why? Because the #1 reason for annulment of marriages in the Christian west is lack of consummation (#2 is lack of children)(so, yeah copula theory is still important). In fact, someone may even be sent to observe. 4. NozzeUsually happens within a few days of ring day. At twilight, friends of the groom arrive @ the brides home with a horse and torches. She emerges, bids her family adieu, and gets put on the horse. Then the friends parade her (usually in a super fancy dress) through the streets of Florence (regardless of where the groom lives), then stop at the grooms home (read: the grooms parents house). (Why? The Florentine commune understands shes the future of the commune (cause, you know, she can have babies). So theyre viewing their future every time they see this. ) Then the groom takes her off the horse and carries her across the threshold (and then theres usually a party for up to three days). The whole shebang signifies the transfer of authority over the girl from her father to her husband.

Jump to when she becomes a widow (you know, because of the age gap), at around 25ish. And now shes in an entirely new set of sucky circumstances! Shes got four options:

(hypothetical 25 year old with 2 living kids)

1. Live alone: This isnt really viable for several reasons. Firstly, shes demonstrably good at the whole having kids and keeping em alive thing, which makes her prime marriage material. Secondly, being a woman, she possesses almost no financial resources. And thirdly, social perceptions are highly biased against her living alone (because shes a sexually experienced woman and those are potentially disruptive influences). Only 2% of women in Florence EVER took this option

2. Remarry: Self-evident. But theres some problems under the surface. If she remarries, her dowry goes with her (its hers, which means she can will it to her children (read: sons) if she doesnt remarry), but not her children (theyre her husbands familys property). So shed be abandoning and disinheriting them. At the same time. So, yeah, a lot of women are reluctant to take this option. And shell get tagged as a bad mother. 3. Live with her in-laws: Her in-laws, on the other hand, want her to live with them, since they get to keep the dowry if she stays with em! (If theyve squandered it and she remarries, the shit hits the fan. Along with the lawsuits. And the stabbings.) But if she does this, she gets tagged as a disobedient daughter. a. The really lucky ones signed contracts with their husbands to stay with the in-laws and raise the children, in exchange for a stipulation of money and a guarantee her in-laws will treat her well. Which makes her an obedient wife. And obedient wife > disobedient daughter. So she comes out smelling like rosesGirls who cant get a dowry (to marry) get sent off to a convent when they turn 18. Whee.

Meanwhile, in the lower classes If youre a poor artisan, you cant put your daughter in a convent. So the daughters of really poor families (like, say, if the father died) get put into service (employed as a servant) for the mercantile class (she could be as young as 8). In exchange, the mercantile class father promises to dower the girl. Those girls are called fantines. On the surface this seems like a good deal. UNDER the surface, these girls are sexual targets. And if that happens, theyre pretty much screwed: if they refuse the advances, they end up on the street, if they give in (read: get raped), then they get kicked out anyway if they get pregnant (via a rapid marriage to someone who usually gets paid off to take er).Tornataa fund a father could establish for his daughter(s) to provide funds for a daughter who returned to her family. The intent is to offer a means of support to help the family in the event that a widowed daughter comes back to them (beyond childbearing years with grown children)