15th Century Marriage

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Bobby Sylvain
Professor Plum
World Civilizations
9 September 2009 In the years of the 15th century, men were the dominant figures in a typical household. The man has the choice of what women would best suit him and his lifestyle, but the woman has absolutely no say. The women were treated poorly and looked down upon by the elders and men of the community. However, the man did have a choice in holy matrimony, but it was the elder’s job to persuade and reason with him. Enlarging your family not only lets you have children to continue your name, but it also gives you a faithful companion to spend the rest of your life with. When choosing a wife in 15th century Florence, there are many qualities a man looked for in a wife. For example, in Book of the Family, Lionardo states that, “In a wife we must seek beauty, family, and wealth” (page 98). Men mainly want to have kids with good qualities so their mother has to contain them too. The woman must have a strong and healthy body to bear the man’s children. An old proverb states, “As you want your children, so choose their mother.” (98) There are many opinions as to the perfect physical stature of a woman begetting children. The woman’s qualities and features were primarily how she was chosen for marriage. However, her relatives played a major role in the man’s decision to marry her. Most marriages in
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The 15th century failed because of disagreements and social status between the two families. “Let them, therefore, be your equals, modest, noble, and of honorable profession.” (99) Therefore, it was the man’s job to find a woman with respectable physical and emotional qualities as well as a family of equal social status and opinions, if he wanted a successful marriage. “You know, it has always seemed proper to me for the head of the family not only to do these things worthy of a man, but to avoid anything in which should be done by women.” (99) Another example of women having no authority in the 15th century is the lack of respect she received by her husband. The men left their wives to do mainly all the tasks and rigorous work while the man took care of the business aspects and providing for his family. Also, as Giannozzo states, “No matter how trifling a secret I had, I never shared it with my wife or with any other woman.” (100) Usually in a marriage, equality is something healthy and makes the relationship run smoothly. It was looked down upon to share important matters and topics with your wife. According to Giannozzo, treating his wife like this made his marriage better and he states that if she learned to obey her father and mother, then she can learn to obey him, implying that he has the upper hand like parents do over a child. In Conclusion, women were overruled in their marriages by men in the 15th century. The men had all of the power and made all of the decisions without consulting their wives first. To be chosen for marriage the woman must have good features and qualities for begetting children, her family must be of equal or lesser social status, and she must be a loyal companion for the husband. Overall, women had no choice in anything that she did in her life, especially marriage.

Lionardo. Book of the Family.