Házasság vagy együttélés?
Marriage or Concubinage?

Some Ideas Regarding the Presence of Concubinage Relationships in Odorhei County Prior the Year 1895

Summary/Abstract: In the 19th century, the society was family-centric. Both secular and ecclesiastical institutions sought to control the family due to its multiple functions in society. The gravest crimes, which jeopardized the institution of the family, were considered sins attached to the sexual life, including concubinage. Concubinage meant the illegitimate cohabitation of two persons, which was not accepted by the church or the secular authorities, because it lacked the formality of a public sanction by the Church. It presumed the existence of both physical and spiritual contacts between the parties, together with the maintenance of a common household. In the present paper we wish to explore the characteristics, the causes and the spread of concubinages. Temporally, the present study is limited to the period between the years 1801–1895, and geographically it focuses on Odorhei (Udvarhely) County. As a source of our assessments we have used ecclesiastical archival sources, principally registers of births, records on church visits and divorce papers.

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