Foundation of Society. Marriage was the lived experience of most people during this period. Marital patterns and customs varied widely throughout Europe, but in all places and at all times the vast majority of women and men married at least once, and society was conceived of as a collection of households, with a marital couple, or a person who had once been a spouse, as the core of most households.

Delayed Matrimony. Marital patterns varied according to region, social class, and to a lesser degree religious affiliation. The most dramatic difference was between the area of northwestern Europe, including the British Isles, Scandinavia, France, and Germany, and eastern and southern Europe. In northwestern Europe, historians have identified a marriage pattern unique in the world, with couples waiting until their mid- or late twenties to marry, long beyond the age of sexual...