Right of the first night: how it worked and why is was taken for granted

Right of first wedding night, which we today consider barbaric and humiliating custom, were previously perceived not so clear. The custom to give the bride on the wedding night, the shaman, the feudal, family member or just a passer-by, often benefits everyone except the groom. Why the bride gets used to this unnatural way for us to start intimate life?

In most European countries the right of first wedding night had a feudal Lord. He could demand the execution of the custom from his vassal, and he had resigned to give him his bride. However, a citizen could bring a case in the financial sphere, to be exact — to pay his Lord's ransom. Everything depended on the solvency and the strength of feelings and the desire to part with their money.

Most ordinary people of that time belonged to the maiden of honor quietly enough. They reasoned that girls do not lose anything if the Duke or Prince would wear, and money in the economy can be found and more important use. Also with the landowner, few people wanted to fight and even with claims, vassals chose to remain silent, to not get hurt.

In some African and Asian tribes right on the wedding night had a shaman or priest. In this case, all translated in the plane of religion and generally does not cause problems. It was believed that a girl wants to get through his representative, the spirit or deity. This rite was explained as the expulsion from the body of the bride evil spirits and was even considered a service for which you pay extra.

Himself the owner of the rights to someone else's bride was always in the win — he got what he wanted, and if he was interested, could not claim rights or to take ransom. Oddly enough, but often had the benefit of it and the girl in that case if in practice a woman was not. This right was a great way to hide from the groom and his relatives, the loss of virginity before marriage. Mr could agree, but most of all he himself wanted to participate in the squabbles of his vassals.

Right of first wedding night was not regulated by any documentary acts — it just existed since the ancient times and put up with it. Friedrich Engels in one of his works pointed out that in some cultures the groom was the last person who could claim possession of their legitimate young wife.

Many local historians argue that the right of the first night was spread in Russia. In pre-Christian times the bride gave the first night, the groom's father, elder brother or another experienced man from the family that everything went as it should and she has not been unsuccessful intimate experience at the beginning of family life.

With the advent of Christianity the right of the first wedding night has become less popular, but still preserved in some places, slightly modified. In many regions of Russia the groom after a night spent with the bride, had to show villagers proof of her innocence. If his inexperience the first time was bad, to "help" taken experienced relatives and friends.

Large landowners could even make the entire list which was specified, in which village and in which family he grew up the bride. The villains travelled his lands, almost every night spending in the company of a new girl. Authorities have repeatedly tried to stop this wild custom.

Especially actively fought against it in the 19th century. But the rich man who breaks the law almost always came out unscathed, just to pay off bribes or paying a symbolic fine. That meant a prank of a nobleman with a peasant girl, if that could screw up your peasant to death and to get the public censure.