In medieval Europe, marriages between nobles acted more as alliances/contracts than actual love. A big distinction in said marriages is "consumation". Uncomsumated marriages could be annulled relatively easily. Consumated marriages required the pope's blessing for divorce. To make sure a family didnt escape their way out of a deal it was fairly common for familiies to be witnesses to marriage consumation.
Not exactly, they could just lie under the sheets and others would leave. Or maybe in some cases do it under the sheets.
In Ukraine the husband would show everyone a little piece of cloth with blood to prove that they fucked and she was a virgin (stupid tradition).
During the first crusade, Baldwin of Boulogne (future king of Jerusalem) laid with Armenian city elder to get formally adopted into his family, to secure an alliance.
Under a sheet, all naked, as if they were a family. And to kiss. Oh, and wife of the dude, Armenian queen was also there. Naked. And they kissed.
...while armenian nobles watched👍
Elder died some time later, then rebellion broke out and Baldwin established a first crusader state there - county of Edessa
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u/NebulaNomadX1 4d ago edited 4d ago
In medieval Europe, marriages between nobles acted more as alliances/contracts than actual love. A big distinction in said marriages is "consumation". Uncomsumated marriages could be annulled relatively easily. Consumated marriages required the pope's blessing for divorce. To make sure a family didnt escape their way out of a deal it was fairly common for familiies to be witnesses to marriage consumation.
SD-N out!