Renaissance and sacramental marriages

[flightkid]

Were alot of the renaissance sacramental marriages? I know a lot were pre-arranged due to political, monarchal, etc reasons. We obviously know the Catholic Church was there to bless a lot of these marriages…How were they scarmental marriages if they were pre-arranged, forced, or even under age? How could the CHurch give its blessings on a lot of the monarchal marriages during the renaissance periods?

I would think canon law will disqualify a lot of them, but I am trying to reconcile how the Church blessed a lot of them?

 

[Corki]

There is nothing about an arranged marriage that would make it lacking as far as Sacramentatlity is concerned. Forced is a different story, of course. Also “under age” has to be seen in its historical context. Even just a hundred years ago, it was not that unusual for a woman to marry at 14.

 

[joanofarc2008]

All marriages in the Church are presumed valid unless validity is challenged before a tribunal.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

Also, remember that a great deal of histories of the Renaissance period are heavily biased against the Catholic Church (many of them are older and were written by English Protestant writers with strong political leanings).

The average age at marriage in earlier periods varied quite a bit. Many of the “marriages” you hear about were actually betrothals.

 

[Brendan]

There is nothing about an arranged marriage that would make it lacking as far as Sacramentatlity is concerned.

Correct, if consent was given by both parties, then a marriage occured. If both parties were baptized, then the Marriage was Sacramental.

Forced is a different story, of course.

Yep, if the parties were threated, then the consent was not true consent. But if the person went along with it, even under the assumption that it was their duty to do so, then it still remains as consent.

Also “under age” has to be seen in its historical context. Even just a hundred years ago, it was not that unusual for a woman to marry at 14.

Even now, in Canon Law, it listes the minium age for a valid marriage at 14 for women and 16 for men.

Can. 1083 §1 A man cannot validly enter marriage before the completion of his sixteenth year of age, nor a woman before the completion of her fourteenth year.

 

[Jesusismyfriend]

Correct, if consent was given by both parties, then a marriage occured. If both parties were baptized, then the Marriage was Sacramental.

What if it was not exactly forced? And if a parent thinks a man is a good match for his daughter, should the daughter respect this, as long as she does not view the man her father wants her to marry as evil or not a biblical Christian?

Yep, if the parties were threated, then the consent was not true consent. But if the person went along with it, even under the assumption that it was their duty to do so, then it still remains as consent.

Even now, in Canon Law, it listes the minium age for a valid marriage at 14 for women and 16 for men.