The house as a demographic factor? Elements of a marriage pattern under the auspices of hindrance policies

Abstract

"Hindrance policies" is the keyword for the local society, whose radius of action is presented for debate in this paper. Manifoldly interwoven between familial and local levels, the house could have had a demographic effect here. Several extremely striking demographic factors characterize marriage patterns in the region studied. A first indicator is found in the age-specific proportions of single persons. Also the mean age at first marriage is consistently relatively high, particularly in the second half of the 19th century. Influx and settlement limitations regulated through the instrument of citizenship are reflected in the marriage pattern in terms of the aspect of endogamy and exogamy. The form of acceptance of citizens, political marriage consent, which tied marriageability to property, partitioning prohibition and house-building taboo, relatively fixed property sizes and the inheritance practice oriented to the primogeniture model and high migration rates. All of these factors together were the pillars of this citizenship-estate society.