Courtship and Marriage during Early Modern England - Essay Example

Lecturer Courtship and Marriage during Early Modern England Early modern England illustrates unique aspects in courtship and marriage. The description is based on the historical records from the ecclesiastical courts. The courts have Lowland and Highland. The Lowlands is represented through the diocese of Ely. The Highlands is illustrated through diocese of Chester and the diocese of Durham. The paper illustrates courtship and the levels of parental or community participation in the processes of marriage. There is contradictory illustration of courtship behavior, through two aspects. The libertarian illustrates plentiful, open and free sexual activities during the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. The historians oppose this concept. They illustrate that cultural and demographic constraints resulted into generally restrained courtship approach. Contemporary writers during the period deplored sexual activities, which they believed were not only rampant but also widespread. The popular culture during courtship period was considered immoral (Robert 39). Parents had significant role during selection of marriage partners. The initial stage of parents’ involvement is when courtship is serious. The parents had the responsibility of providing of formally providing or withholding consent. However, parental consent was not a legal requirement until 1754. In reality it took a lot of courage and will for a couple to continue with their courtship, in the presence of strong and open opposition from the parents or other respectable community members. Parental approval was greatly considered a desirable issue. For poorer couple, parental involvement was majorly a formality. The rich parents had economic factors to consider before providing consent; for instance, inheritance, family reputation, and dowry (Keith 92). The England community showed less control system and more flexible approaches in terms of parental control during courtship and marriage, than other world communities. Courtship and marriage were affected negligibly according to social class. There is no adequate illustration of a sub-society, during the period under study in terms of marriage. But, the concept that societal limitations illustrated a huge aspect of the attitude of the society towards reproduction, courtship and marriage, was mainly influenced through individual attraction, status in society and age. The social class factor was a significant factor to consider if property and wealth was involved. It was in some cases very difficult to marry into a family that is of high status financially or even politically. Many wealthy parents declined to consent courtship progress due to the low economic level of the family that the interested person comes from. Majority of the people were also hindered from further pursuing courtship due to the unrealistic financial demands. The demand includes; exaggerated dowry value, or inheritance value (Keith 116). The courtship and marriage patterns are similar to the present practices in the 21st century. In the early modern England period, marriage was considered as serious institution that had a lot of responsibilities. The responsibilities entailed raising children and companionship. The present society also greatly values marriage. It is the basic social unit that is used for raising children, to be better members of the society in future. Courtship was practiced during the early modern England. The practice still continues in the present modern society (Keith 77). The aim of courtship in both societies is to enable the couples discover each other, and then determine if they can succeed together in the marriage responsibility. Parent approval is also very important in the current society. Majority of courtship proceed to the marriage stage if the parents agree and support it. The marriages also illustrate several challenges or threats; for instance, cruelty and infidelity. The nature of the marriage during the early modern England period is basic and majorly involves societal responsibilities. Marriage was considered an important unit of the society (Keith 83). This is because it acted as that institution used to bring up responsible people in the society. Marriage illustrated responsibilities between the husband and the wife. The husband is traditionally considered the head of the house; therefore, he is expected to provide security and other necessities required by his family. The woman is viewed as the household manager (Andrew 47). She mainly engages in raising the children in a manner that is approved by the society. The marriages usually experiences challenges, which are addressed by the parents, courts and other respectable individuals in the society. One key challenge issue entails infidelity and cruelty. In both present and early modern England period, many marriages are allowed to dissolve on the two grounds. Both ideal and real situation are represented in the explanations of the early modern England courtship and also marriage. In ideas scenarios, marriages are supposed to last a lifetime. However, in reality many marriages collapse. The marriage collapse is due too many issues; for instance, minimal conjugal rights, infidelity, insanity, poverty and cruelty (Keith 121). Several societal institutions attempt to solve the marriage challenges; for example, the church, courts, parents and marriage counselors. In ideal situations, children are supposed to be born within marriages. In reality, however, several children are born outside the wedlock. This is because of the high levels of unprotected sex by unmarried individuals. In ideal situations, the parents must approve courtships and the marriage stages. In reality, several individuals ignore the opinion of the parents during the courtship stages. In ideal marriage situation, the man is supposed to provide for the needs of his family. In reality, however, several men abandon their families due to the ever increasing financial burdens. Parents and children have significant relationship within the family. The parents are supposed to protect the children, and then cater for their basic needs. This is the social and legal responsibilities that the parents have on their children. The children on the other hand are expected to respect their parents, and participate in schooling. Parents act as role models for their children in the society. Almost all children desire to behave or communicate like their parents. Parents should therefore engage in socially appropriate practices, which their children can effectively emulate. On reaching maturity age, the children should take care of their aging parents, and the parents should also help through wise counsel on general life matters. Works Cited Andrew, Bradstock. Radical Religion in Cromwells England. New York: i.b. 2011. Print. Keith, Wrightson. English Family. Rutgers University Press. 2003. Print. Robert, Bucholz. Early Modern England. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. 2009. Print. Read More