Incest and the Medieval Man

When I first started writing Enthralled (the third book in the Druids of Duncarnoch series) I knew the hero and heroine had grown up together and had known since they were children that they were soul mates.

But as children of a noble household, their desires or happiness are irrelevant. Marriage was a political and financial arrangement, especially for the nobility. The goal of marriage was to gain richer lands and more powerful alliances for the next generation—the nobleman’s grandchildren.

In the story, Amilia has been betrothed since she was a toddler, and William tasked with doing whatever necessary to win the patronage of a powerful lord (or lady) in the hopes of gaining power and wealth through marriage to an heiress.

If that's not conflict enough, they were raised as brother and sister, compounding the obstacles they face.

They are not related by blood, and they know it, but our medieval counterparts would have argued consanguinity all the same.

And that brings us to incest and the medieval man.

Although consanguinity literally means “blood relations,” its legal definition was much broader.

The Church prohibited marriage between people who were related within four degrees of consanguinity, which included blood relatives, relatives by marriage (if the man and wife became “one flesh” then all relatives on either side are related) and those related by spiritual affinity (related through relationships of godparents).

You can imagine how very quickly your medieval options dwindled. And that shallow pool became even more shallow when the Church raised the number of prohibited degrees to seven in the 9th century. Within a few hundred years, the nobility became (technically speaking) too interrelated to marry.

For the lesser folks, many of whom never traveled more than a few miles from where they were born, the pool was more like a puddle.

I've always find this side of medieval marriage fascinating, and a bit odd. The reasoning behind the prohibitions is vague, particularly when it comes to spiritual affinity, and gaining Papal dispensation to go ahead and marry your thrice-connected cousin was relatively easy.

Not surprisingly, the Church loosened the prohibitions in the 13th century, and current canon law deals only with biological kinship. 

In your research or reading, what is the oddest or most puzzling rule that you've come across?


Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. You can find out more about her books at: http://prairierosepublications.com. Leave a comment for a chance to win one of her books, ANAM CARA, TIES THAT BIND and ENTHRALLED.