Abducting women: early modern Europe’s solution to marital problems

Post-Medieval Europe (from the 16th to the 18th century), was when the patriarchal family became the entrenched norm. In this context, arranging marriages for women was a very important social strategy for sustaining family, lineage, and the community. The last word on the subject was, like practically all other decisions, left to men.

When disputes arose over marriage, there was one very common solution: abducting the woman in question. This consisted…

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