Peasants and the working class married more often for love and what was to come in the dowry. Occasionally elders arranged the marriages as early as three but that trend disappeared later in the Middle Ages. Although already arranged, legally a marriage did not exist until the couple consented to the union.

When did medieval peasants get married?

You could get married as soon as you hit puberty – and parental consent was not required. Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex in the medieval period, and as a result Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, generally seen at the time as age 12 for women and 14 for men.

How were medieval marriages arranged?

In the medieval period, marriages were usually performed out of necessity, not love. Marriages were arranged with a brides dowry in mind, which would be given to the groom by the brides family after the ceremony had taken place. Men were permitted to keep the dowry forever-even if the couple were later separated.

How did they propose in medieval times?

When it comes to proposing itself, the only thing that mattered is mutual consent. Even if the family was opposed to the marriage. The mere exchange of words “I accept you as mine” was enough to be considered married. Most families dictated to who their daughter would give her consent.