Parentesco - History Lab

Marriages and Marriage Dispensations in the Kingdom of Murcia, 1773-1832

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

The graph shows the number of marriage dispensations in relation to the total number of marriages between 1773 and 1832 in the Kingdom of Murcia. These dispensations were granted by the Church when the spouses had consanguinity; kinship in different degrees. From 1780, the increase of consanguineous marriages is progressive and, within the social profile of the peasants, they used it as a strategy to consolidate the family by establishing double marriages. At times of change between the Ancien Régime and the liberal state, a decreasing trend of dispensations has been observed; rather, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Church relaxed these necessary dispensations by changing the degrees of prohibition. The authors point out that, while the number of dispensations decreased, the actual number of consanguineous marriages increased due to this greater permissibility.

The post Marriages and Marriage Dispensations in the Kingdom of Murcia, 1773-1832 first appeared on History Lab.

Genealogy of a family of bureaucrats: the Asenjo de Alcaraz family (1688-1814)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

Enrichment and social advancement were the leitmotiv of many families. Although social mobility was very controlled in the Ancien Régime, it did exist. An example of this is the Asenjo family of Alcaraz (Albacete). The genealogy of this family shows us how marriage strategies, social networks and kinship helped to achieve patrimony. Beginning with the union of Isabel Galdón, a native of Alcaraz, with Pedro Asenjo, a native of Las Navas del Marqués (Ávila) in 1688, the family created parallel branches that intertwined throughout the 18th century. Pedro Asenjo was notary public of Alcaraz in 1703; his first son Juan was also a notary public, while the second, Pedro, was a clergyman of minors. It was Juan who married into the well-positioned Vargas Machuca family, and by 1753 he had accumulated a large amount of wealth that made him one of the leading cattle ranchers and farmers in the region. Based on their good social and economic status, the Asenjo family’s marriage policies were oriented in three directions: to get closer to public offices and positions; to reinforce those already established within the family; and to place some of their children in the clergy. This last route had a twofold objective: to ensure that the children would pursue a career within a privileged estate and that, with celibacy, the assets of the same would return to the family nucleus, thus concentrating the patrimony once again and avoiding its atomisation.

The post Genealogy of a family of bureaucrats: the Asenjo de Alcaraz family (1688-1814) first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of consanguineous marriages over the total in Asturias between 1701 and 1900

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

As can be seen in the graph, the author compiles the sacramental marriage certificates to establish the number of marriages by blood that took place in Asturias through the study of the degrees of filiation of the spouses. The graph shows how this type of marriage increases during the 18th century, decreases at the beginning of the 19th century and increases again from 1871 onwards, reaching its maximum at the end of the century. The growth trend of consanguineous marriages is similar in other parts of Spain and Catholic Europe.

The post Evolution of consanguineous marriages over the total in Asturias between 1701 and 1900 first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of consanguineous marriages according to the degree of kinship in Asturias (1701-1900)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

Consanguineous marriages have different degrees according to their kinship. At the beginning of the 18th century, marriages between more distant degrees were the most common within this filiation; however, the historical evolution in Asturias shows how at the end of the 19th century there was a rapprochement between marriages of higher and lower degrees of kinship. Although the number of marriages between blood relations decreased, the number of marriages of higher kinship, 1st and 2nd, increased.

The post Evolution of consanguineous marriages according to the degree of kinship in Asturias (1701-1900) first appeared on History Lab.

Typology and sex of relatives over 50 years old in central-southern Spain, 1753

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:27 +0000

In the mid-18th century in the interior of Spain, the nuclear family model (parents and children) predominated, with sporadic extended models (parents, children and close relatives). In terms of age, 20% of all resident relatives were over 50 years old. If we add sex to this variable, 85.2% were women and 14.7% were men. Among the women, the mother figure stood out considerably, followed by the mother-in-law. From the distance between the two, it can be deduced that their presence was oriented towards care and household tasks. For their part, the presence of cousins, aunts or sisters-in-law was testimonial; the same was true of the men. Thus, the profile of the relatives according to sex, age and kinship denotes a tendency towards temporariness in the household, a temporariness that in no way reflects structural behavioural patterns.

The post Typology and sex of relatives over 50 years old in central-southern Spain, 1753 first appeared on History Lab.