| caption: |
Chapter Three. Phases of Life |
| caption: |
arranged marriages easily dissolved |
| text: |
Indeed, early marriages arranged by parents for their immature sons and daughters involved little hardship because, as a rule, they could be easily dissolved, and it was rare for a marriage to last if there was no affection between the spouses. The possibility of dissolving an unsatisfactory union existed, but the character and temperament of the individual determined whether a man would put up with an unloved partner in the interest of good relations between two families linked by previous affinal ties or whether he was prepared to face the expense of a divorce in order to gain his freedom. The wealthier the families concerned, the greater was the pressure exerted in favor of the maintenance of a marriage alliance involving important economic interests. |
