upper class women had less of a say in whom they married - applies to Kate & Bianca because their father is wealthy .

marriage age was set at 16 for men & 14 for women ; age of consent was 14 for men & 12 for women .

men were allowed to use physical discipline on their wives as long as they used a stick no longer than their thumb , & infidelity to one's spouse could be punishable by death .

As Europe started to modernize, people started to marry for love and not just property

Women had significantly less of a say in marriage then the man and had to give all of their property and possessions to the man once they were married

Weddings lasted for 11 days

Women were punished and judged more harshly than men when they were unfaithful.

Friends and family arranged the marriages for gain of property and business purposes rather than love.

Lower class couples typically married for love rather than political gain like upper class families.

If a girl wanted to marry someone that her father didn't approve of, it was called "stealing a marriage" and was seen as rebellion against her lack of freedom.

The Marriage Act of 1653 officially made the marriage ages 16 and 14, but it was customary for girls to be as young as 12 and boys to be as young as 14.

Family and friends would play matchmaker for people that they thought were a good match to each other.

Some marriages between men and women were later in lives; this allowed for men and women alike to make more connections... and money before resigning to one person.

Protestant Reformation valued love and pushed people to marry more for LOVE than STATUS.

Many women would show up to the alter already pregnant because the marriage process was very long. Most couples would not wait until after the marriage to consummate it.

Protestant reformation played major role in reshaping marriage. It placed importance for consent rather than coercion in a marriage.

Arranged marriages were more common in the upper class.

Husbands were allowed to physically disalpline their wives, as long as they "used a stick no greater than a thumb's-breadth."