Clandestine Marriage in Late Medieval England (13th–15th centuries) Concept, Regulation, and Reception

Absztrakt

During the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), the Church established that the prerequisite for entering into a lawful marriage is the proclamation of the banns at least three weeks prior to the wedding, as well as its solemnization in the presence of a priest and witnesses. At the same time, the council stated that all marriages contracted without observing these rules, although valid, could still be subject to ecclesiastical sanctions. The concept of clandestine marriage thus basically applied to cases where the marriage was not preceded by a three-week period of announcement. In England, from the 13th century onwards, matters relating to clandestine marriages fell within the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts. However, according to court records, in practice, a marriage was not classified as clandestine solely on the basis of the lack of banns. This raises the question of whether it is still appropriate to use the term ”clandestine marriage” or whether it would be more useful to use the term ”informal marriage” in research.