Things You Didn't Know About Hitler That Will Blow Your Mind

In the past, people married within the same social milieu. Marriages that were not appropriate to one's social status were rare and not sought after, as the partner lost privileges. The purpose of marriage was family, economic, social and political interests.

Muntehe: Munt means protection, here in the sense of legal protection. This was the most common form within noble families. Here, guardianship and power over the woman was transferred from the father to the husband by law and justice. Only one Muntehe was allowed to exist.

Kebsehe: Kebse meant something like concubine. In this form of marriage, a free man could marry an unfree woman without any consent and thus force her into a concubine relationship, as he had complete power over the serfs. However, this relationship was not really recognized as a marriage. Children from such relationships were called Kegel. Here, several such concubines were allowed to exist side by side.

Friedelehe: This form of marriage has not been confirmed and was introduced by the legal historian Herbert Meyer in 1920. Frisel comes from the Middle High German word friudiea, which means "beloved". Such a marriage was entered into voluntarily by both parties and without transfer of guardianship. But it was also less binding. A Friedelehe could exist alongside a Muntehe.

From the 10th century onwards, the church intervened more and more in marriage ceremonies. The concubine marriage was slowly replaced.

Although the wedding ceremony still did not play a special role, it gradually became common to obtain the church's blessing. From this act, the wedding liturgy arose with two consenting parties and without the bride's guardian. This is where the "yes" word came from.

Thus, by the 13th century, the church had developed its own marriage law. Weddings and marriages became a church matter and from 1225 onwards had to take place with a priest. Lay marriages and cohabitation without a church blessing were forbidden and even punished.

This church authority was broken by Martin Luther, who considered marriage to be a secular matter. He believed that marriage was the responsibility of secular authorities and should be regulated by them. This led to individual states requiring church weddings, which made it compulsory, especially in Protestant countries. Even when sex before marriage became known, the state authorities intervened to lead the respective people to the altar.