February Development
Once again, the time for a monthly update has arrived. Technically said time arrived yesterday, but spotty internet convinced me to just postpone it. My apologies. Without any further ado, let's get to the update.
I wrote about this some in the last post. The counterproposals ended up being a bit thornier than anticipated. The good news however is that they, and all the other bits touching wedding negotiations, are finished.
Royal weddings were important events. Rather than a minor footnote which might perhaps occasion collecting a feudal aid, these were times for feasting, processions, and much else.
And, yes, also raising a tax if you desire it.
The 12th century predates the Church's formal understanding of marriage as a sacrament. More on the historical aspect to follow. Despite this, it would have been shocking to not have any religious involvement in the marriage of a king. Bishops are, and were, a bigger deal than they are portrayed in many medieval games. There were only about a dozen in all of England and certainly far fewer than that in the fractured state of our timeline. Given their stature, it is fitting that a member of the episcopate performs the service.
Amusingly I managed to track down an edge case in which crashed the wedding (in several senses of the term) if no bishops were to be found in the kingdom. This required, as I mentioned on Twitter, some workarounds:
Regardless of what else happens, the wedding ends in the familiar feast hall. This is, for the more “standard” choices, perhaps the first opportunity to really get to know your wife.
Many things about medieval wedding ceremonies are preserved in modern ceremonies. However there are many notable differences as well. As mentioned, there was not yet a requirement that the Church be involved for a wedding to be valid. Indeed, all that was required in those days was present consent of both parties and a witness. A priest makes a great witness, and naturally most people desired blessings for their new union, so a liturgy developed from a fairly early point to solemnize weddings, even if it was not strictly required to form them. Luckily for us, this was put down in the Use of Sarum, which would have been largely finished and coming into widespread use during the early parts of the game.
According to this, the service was performed in front of the church rather than inside it. Some of the wording is a bit different than a modern ceremony — “I will” rather than “I do” for example — but most things are at least analogous. A nuptial mass followed, where further prayers and benedictions followed for the couple.
Interestingly, Western Rite Orthodoxy still to this day follows the Use of Sarum. There are a few differences between this and a medieval wedding, for instance two rings are used in this service rather than just one for the bride as in medieval weddings, but this is as close as one can get to a medieval English wedding in the present era:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
If any part of a wedding in DGR feels unusual, consulting this video might help!
A few more matters, mostly behind the scenes to bring some of the terms of the wedding into effect. There is also some text left to write, as there are a great many traits that might prompt comment in the feast section.
More next time!
Marriage negotiations, continued
I wrote about this some in the last post. The counterproposals ended up being a bit thornier than anticipated. The good news however is that they, and all the other bits touching wedding negotiations, are finished.
Medieval wedding ceremonies in game
Royal weddings were important events. Rather than a minor footnote which might perhaps occasion collecting a feudal aid, these were times for feasting, processions, and much else.
And, yes, also raising a tax if you desire it.
The 12th century predates the Church's formal understanding of marriage as a sacrament. More on the historical aspect to follow. Despite this, it would have been shocking to not have any religious involvement in the marriage of a king. Bishops are, and were, a bigger deal than they are portrayed in many medieval games. There were only about a dozen in all of England and certainly far fewer than that in the fractured state of our timeline. Given their stature, it is fitting that a member of the episcopate performs the service.
Amusingly I managed to track down an edge case in which crashed the wedding (in several senses of the term) if no bishops were to be found in the kingdom. This required, as I mentioned on Twitter, some workarounds:
Regardless of what else happens, the wedding ends in the familiar feast hall. This is, for the more “standard” choices, perhaps the first opportunity to really get to know your wife.
Medieval wedding ceremonies in history
Many things about medieval wedding ceremonies are preserved in modern ceremonies. However there are many notable differences as well. As mentioned, there was not yet a requirement that the Church be involved for a wedding to be valid. Indeed, all that was required in those days was present consent of both parties and a witness. A priest makes a great witness, and naturally most people desired blessings for their new union, so a liturgy developed from a fairly early point to solemnize weddings, even if it was not strictly required to form them. Luckily for us, this was put down in the Use of Sarum, which would have been largely finished and coming into widespread use during the early parts of the game.
According to this, the service was performed in front of the church rather than inside it. Some of the wording is a bit different than a modern ceremony — “I will” rather than “I do” for example — but most things are at least analogous. A nuptial mass followed, where further prayers and benedictions followed for the couple.
Interestingly, Western Rite Orthodoxy still to this day follows the Use of Sarum. There are a few differences between this and a medieval wedding, for instance two rings are used in this service rather than just one for the bride as in medieval weddings, but this is as close as one can get to a medieval English wedding in the present era:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
If any part of a wedding in DGR feels unusual, consulting this video might help!
What's next
A few more matters, mostly behind the scenes to bring some of the terms of the wedding into effect. There is also some text left to write, as there are a great many traits that might prompt comment in the feast section.
More next time!