Political marriage consensus
The political marriage consensus was a certificate issued in the 19th century in the countries of the Habsburg Monarchy . The aim was to allow only those marriages that were desirable from the point of view of the authorities, because the couple were economically able to support a family and would probably not burden the poor funds.
Historical development
On June 17, 1820, a court decree was issued for all Habsburg lands. It was ordered that all those willing to marry who did not belong to the class of the owners had to obtain a certificate, the marriage consensus, from the respective municipality. Pastors were only allowed to perform weddings if this certificate was available. In practice, the requirement to issue the certificate has also been extended to owner-occupied couples in many places. On the other hand, there have been repeated cases in which priests entered into marriages even without official approval, which was sanctioned by both the state and the church.
In 1869 the political consensus on marriage was abolished in large parts of the Habsburg monarchy. In Salzburg it remained until 1888, in Tyrol and Vorarlberg until 1923. In Tyrol only journeymen, servants, day laborers and residents were subject to him. Even they could only be denied consensus if they were receiving poor relief or were unsteady and unemployed.
As a presumable social consequence of the political marriage consensus, a clear increase in the age of marriage can be proven for Tyrol, for example.
prehistory
The set of rules for political marriage consensus consisted of a stabilization and standardization of similar previously applicable local rules. For example, on October 14, 1804, an ordinance for the introduction of the political marriage consensus was issued for Liechtenstein, on the grounds that "marriages of people who have neither assets nor pursue a profession would not increase the level of poverty and cause other harm will". In Tyrol , a corresponding decree of the local government dates back to 1731, with references to several forerunners that go back to 1684. Similar regulations existed in several southern German and Swiss territories, as well as in several local wisdoms .
Roman marriage
An unintended consequence of the political marriage consensus was the so-called "Roman marriage", which is guaranteed at least for Tyrol. Since unmarried couples were forcibly married in Rome, several couples who had been denied marriage consent embarked on the wandering from Tyrol to Rome in order to deliberately be picked up and married. This practice and the fact that the already destitute couples were a burden to the Austrian representatives in Rome after the long journey prompted the court and state chancellery to instruct the Tyrolean authorities in 1838 not to handle the marriage consensus unnecessarily restrictively.
source
- Margareth Lanzinger: The secured legacy: marriage in local and family contexts. Innichen 1700–1900. L'Homme Schriften 8, Feminist History Series. Böhlau, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-205-99371-3