The possibility of female
orgasm was encouraged. Both women and men were thought to have
"seed" and drank certain potions to cause pregnancy or to prevent
birth. Some argued that orgasm of both partners was necessary for
the "seed" of the male and female to mix to produce pregnancy.
Most women were in a virtual state of perpetual pregnancy. Both
Catholics and Protestants thought that God wanted them to multiply
and cover the earth. Catholics thought that the only goal of sex
was procreation. Men were considered ready for marriage only when
they could support a family, which was usually at about age 30.
Brides were normally virgins, but there was bridal pregnancy of
about 20%. Women usually married at about age 25. Marriages were
usually within one's own class and religion. The aristocracy often
initiated matches of their children for the sake of continuity in
the family estates and tried to obtain the consent of their
children for the match in mind. The age of consent to marry was 14
for boys and 12 for girls. Girls in arranged marriages often
married at 13, and boys before they went to university. But the
girls usually stayed with their parents for a couple of years
before living with their husbands. If married before puberty,
consummation of the marriage waited for such time. In other
classes, the initiative was usually taken by the child. Dowries
and marriage portions usually were given by the parents of the
bride.
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