Left At the Altar: A Medieval Version of Pre-nuptial Agreement.

We hear frequently these days of gold-diggers marrying men for money and air-tight pre-nuptial agreements that precede the marriage.  Basically, people of unequal status joining together in holy matrimony.

Before the public interest and governmental control, marriage was often between two people and their families and while a public spectacle, it was not necessarily controlled or sanctioned by the government for many years. In fact for many years, a couple just needed to make a declaration before God. However, a number of young women would be seduced into bed with promises of marriage that did not come to fruition. So there were changes to protect the virtue of women by declaring that there must be witnesses to the marriage.  Though, once a marriage occurred they were joined together in body, spirit and mind. Any progeny would be entitled to rights and privileges according to the status of their parents. Normally, this was of no issue amongst couples of equal status, but what of couples of unequal status?

Well, this was usually an issue with the upper nobility who had decided to marry someone of low status. This of course was almost exclusively upper noblemen and lower status women, but there are a few cases of women. Many members of their family would insist that if they deign to marry beneath them, then they should at the very least, marry them morganatically.

Marrying morganatically meant that the status' of either person in the couple remained unchanged. But it also meant that any children resulting from the union would not be entitled to the possible titles, ranks and property of the higher status person. These marriages were also colloquially referred to as, "Left-handed marriages".   During the marriage ceremony, the groom will often grab his bride's hand with his left hand instead of his right.

It sounds really unfair, doesn't it? Well, it can be surmised that most of these marriages occurred between couples who were in love with one another and although children were not granted the same inheritance rights as a legitimate heir.  A lot of fathers were rather fond of their children and as such would work to have rights, lands or titles granted to them. Or would create advantageous matches for them and thus would re-ignite the dynastic line. Also, most husbands would bestow or at least try to gain titles for their wives so that some social awkwardness can be avoided. (Not being able to remain seated in the presence of higher ranks is one example).

Some royals that had morganatic marriages:
1) Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon (This one is rather suspect, there's no proof that the marriage existed. However, many of the court believed that it occurred, and there were portraits painted of her wearing regal robes).
2) George William of Brunswick and Eleonore d'Olbreuse. Their daughter, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, was married to George I of Great Britain.
3) Elizabeth I of Russia and Alexei Razumovsky. Again this one is rather unclear. But certainly most people believed that they were married.

What’s In a Name?

Many of us have strong attachments to our names, never changing them or changing them upon marriage (though usually that is primarily women) as a signifier of belonging to a new clan.

          I am at an age when most of my friends are married, and in most cases,  the woman changes her last name to her husbands. There is nothing at all wrong with this idea. Your name is your own, to change at will. 

          Though it is amazing how many men will balk at women refusing to take another man’s last name or even further snort with derision at the prospect of taking on a woman’s last name. Some have said to me, “It’s just how it’s done.”

             Well no. Not exactly.  Each culture has different naming traditions for women, and not all of them require women assuming the name of their husband upon marriage. However, even if women retain their maiden name, it is often the name of their father.

ANCIENT ROME

In Ancient Rome, the naming structure to non-enslaved men were praenomen (first name), nomen (last name), and cognomen (branch of the last name).  Not all men had the cognomen, and some men would have an additional name signifying a great deed to the empire. One such person is Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, because of him effectively ending the war with Carthage.

However, women were not given a praenomen. They would be given a feminized form of their family’s nomen and if there were two daughters, they may be given the names of maior or minor.  If there were three or more daughters, they may be given prima, secunda, tertiary etc. In public sphere, they may be called by their husbands or father’s name in addition. Gaius Augustus Caesar’s daughter was named Julia Caesaris or Vispania Meteli, wife of Metellus. 

In the later Republic, women were given feminized forms of nomens of prominent family members. Julia Caesaris married Marcus Vispanius Agrippa, and her daughters were named Julia, and Agrippina. Because let’s face it, being a granddaughter of the Emperor is totally boss.

So more often than not, a woman’s name in Ancient Rome reflected that of her father and his family and remained so upon marriage.

IMPERIAL CHINA

In late Imperial China, most families had the daughter-in-law move in with the family of her husband and the daughter-in-law would assume the name. Some cases though, especially if a family had no sons and another had sons to spare, they may require that their son-in-law move in with them and assume the family name. This is so that the family name can live on.

ICELAND

Iceland is one of the few cultures in the modern world that retain a patronymic or matronymic naming structures.

Meaning that when a child is born they are given a first name and their last name is their father’s/mother’s first name with the addition of sson/dottir.

So a child may be given the name Gunnar and if their parent’s first name is Helga and Odin, then the child’s last name may be either Helguson or Odinsson. Most often, the last name is the form of the father’s than the mother’s. They keep the name throughout their lives, which means that the women will not change their name upon marriage.

So while, it is "traditional" for women to assume their husband's name. It hasn't always been, everywhere. 

Anyone have any other naming traditions to share?