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KC
Kara Chrome
@karachrome.bsky.social
Word-nerd. Have yourselves a crunchy little Crispmas.
58 followers73 following303 posts
KCkarachrome.bsky.social

Basically, yes. There were two impediments to marriage: consanguinuity(blood relationship) and affinity (legal relationship). Nowadays, only consanguinuity causes a marriage impediment, but in the mediæval period, affinity was equally problematic. See the run-up to Tilde and Diniz's marriage (SoG).

Table of consanguinuity: marriage to anyone in the direct line of descent is prohibited. In the mediæval period, affinity (in-law or step-) relationships were considered the same as consanguinaceous ones: see the concerns about requiring a dispensation for N and MdeC's wedding and that of TdeC and DV. You couldn't marry your sibling and you couldn't marry your widowed brother- or sister-in-law, either, unless the first marriage was proved invalid (this is how Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon obtained their original dispensation to marry: the Pope accepted that Katherine was still a virgin, therefore her marriage with Prince Arthur's marriage had not been consummated and was thus invalid. Cf. FC & PS in Checkmate.). Marrying your stepmother's sister was the same as marrying your blood aunt: only valid with a very-hard-to-obtain dispensation. Some of the affinity rules persisted in UK law until the 20th century (Deceased Wife's Sister's Act, 1907 and Deceased Brother's Widow's Act 1921 – it took 14 years and a World War for geese to be eligible for the same sauce as ganders).
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AHabbaetha.bsky.social

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

1
KC
Kara Chrome
@karachrome.bsky.social
Word-nerd. Have yourselves a crunchy little Crispmas.
58 followers73 following303 posts
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