The way romance and love were looked upon during the Middle Ages differs greatly from the way it is viewed today. Comparing our time to the Middle Ages is difficult. I know times are different, and here in the USA, we have a romanticized view of marriage.
The medieval era, or the Dark Ages, began around AD 476 and ended between the years 1400 and 1450. This timeframe began when Rome was losing its empire.
Knights and kings attacked the Holy Lands of the Middle East in the name of God and with the blessings of the Christian Church during this volatile period. This time is sometimes called the Golden Age of Chivalry. The goal was to drive the Muslim tribes out of Palestine so that they could control the sacred lands of Jesus and the Bible.
Marriage of Blanche of Lancaster and John of Gaunt 1359, Wikimedia Commons
Princess Adele’s Dragon is based loosely on this time frame. Her love interest was Anthony, crown prince of Overton. Adele loved her prince, but the usual thing during the medieval era was for families to pick out the couple’s spouses.
They didn’t consider love, only financial and social status gains. If the girl’s family was wealthy and she had a title, this made her prime pickings for the marriage mart. What was suitable for the family was the usual consideration. I’m sure compatibility was not considered a prequel to marriage. Love and/or friendship would develop after the marriage.
If you had enough money, a priest could marry you at the church doors. After the marriage and contract signing, the couple would go into the church to celebrate Mass. Then the blessings for the couple took place. The priest went to the couple’s bedchamber and blessed the bed. Many times the consummation of the marriage had to be witnessed.
The women of that time had no rights. Their fathers or husbands ruled over them. The dowry provided by the bride’s family often helped sustain the household/estate of the groom. Women had children and ran the household.
The protagonist in my story, Adele, is a strong independent thinking woman. She speaks her mind to her brother, who is the king, and Anthony.
Adele wants her words to matter to the two men in her life. Her romantic life fell apart when Anthony left, and she would not have another. She refused to let her brother marry her to any man who would have her. This was the usual plight of a woman in her twenties.
The usual marriage age for females was right after puberty to age fifteen. Boys could wait until they were older, in their early twenties.
Amazon Link: Princess Adele’s Dragon
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