At the very heart of the debate about same-sex marriage is the definition of the word "marriage". To some people, it changes to meet social and economic needs, to others it remains firmly fixed. So what has the institution meant down the years?
Much
of the recent debate has focused on the notion of who "owns" marriage
- the Church or the State. Both, however, have played key roles at different
times in the history of the institution.
1. Strategic alliances
For the Anglo-Saxons and Britain's
early tribal groups, marriage was all about relationships - just not in the
modern sense. The Anglo-Saxons saw marriage as a strategic tool to establish
diplomatic and trade ties, says Stephanie Coontz, author of Marriage, A
History: How Love Conquered Marriage. "You established peaceful
relationships, trading relationships, mutual obligations with others by
marrying them," Coontz says.
This all changed with the
differentiation of wealth. Parents were no longer content to marry their
children off to just "anyone in a neighbouring group". They wanted to
marry them to somebody as least as wealthy and powerful as themselves, Coontz
says. "That's the period when marriage shifts and becomes a centre for
intrigue and betrayal."
2. Consent
During the 11th Century, marriage
was about securing an economic or political advantage. The wishes of the
married couple - much less their consent - were of little importance. The
bride, particularly, was assumed to bow to her father's wishes and the marriage
arrangements made on her behalf.
However, for the Benedictine monk
Gratian the consent of the couple mattered more than their family's approval.
Gratian brought consent into the fold of formalised marriage in 1140 with his
canon law textbook, Decretum Gratiani.
The Decretum required couples to
give their verbal consent and consummate the marriage to forge a marital bond.
No longer was a bride or groom's presence at a ceremony enough to signify their
assent.
The book formed the foundation for the Church's
marriage policies in the 12th Century and "set out the rules for marriage
and sexuality in a changing social environment", says historian Joanne
Bailey of Oxford Brookes University.
Veerabagupathy,
Chothavilai
Beach,
Thengamputhoor,
Kanyakumari.
Ph:
04652-221337
Mob:
8220099080.
Email: aveholidayhome@mail.com
Website:
www.aveholidayhome.com
No comments:
Post a Comment