The promise of patriarchy: Marriage in eighteenth-century Russia
Marriage was the vehicle through which Russian society offered privileges to its women. Noblewomen were taught that they would receive life-long material support and a position high in the social hierarchy when they married. Therefore, even when given the chance to refuse arranged marriages Russian...
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| Format: | Dissertation |
| Language: | English |
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
01-01-1994
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Marriage was the vehicle through which Russian society offered privileges to its women. Noblewomen were taught that they would receive life-long material support and a position high in the social hierarchy when they married. Therefore, even when given the chance to refuse arranged marriages Russian noblewomen generally did not, nor did they lose faith in the idea that marriage provided comfort and security even when it obviously did not. Throughout the eighteenth century good matches were crucial both for individual women and for their families. For women, the status and personality of their husbands determined the details of their lives. Families relied on marital alliances, to establish and maintain the position of their kin groups in the intensely hierarchical society of eighteenth-century Russia. However, over the course of the century marriage evolved from an arrangement concluded to meet the political and status needs of a patronage network based on strong extended family groups to an individual choice of personal rather than political significance. This shift occurred as a result of changes in Russian society introduced at the beginning of the eighteenth century which exposed women to the company of men and to European culture. In addition, noblewomen began to marry later (sometimes over the age of twenty rather than the tradition age of twelve or thirteen). The system of marriage arrangement had to bend to accommodate more involvement of brides, who now entered marriage as adult, literate women, not little girls who knew only the will of their fathers. Once married, Russian noblewomen were responsible for producing and rearing children, managing estates, and upholding the family's position in society. They exhibited considerable skill and resourcefulness in executing these tasks. When marriage did not provide the comfort and material security it promised, women subverted the prevailing ideology to make the best of their situations. Divorce was difficult to obtain and religious authorities generally held women responsible for the failure of families. Therefore, women rarely turned to the church for dissolution of marriage. Instead, women manipulated civil laws and religious strictures and relied on networks of patrons to protect them. |
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| ISBN: | 9798208929506 |