The Romanian Family during Transition Times, 1800-1859
The Romanian Family during Transition Times, 1800-1859

Summary/Abstract: In late 18th Century and early 19th Century Romanian Principalities the traditional family undertook some strange modifications according with the new fashions. Even though jealous, the Wallachian and Moldavian husbands were powerless in front of their wives’ wishes and fantasies as long as those ladies had full control over their dowry. Consequently, the high society had louse relations and divorces were quite often. The partners were often changed and nobody thought this as an immoral habit. If the local metropolitan refused to grant a divorce, the discontented husband asked the Sultan to impose that act to the Greek patriarch in Constantinople. If a new wedding ceremony was refused to an already married couple, the lovers eventually eloped to Transylvania where they receive the blessing from a priest of another denomination even though they were anathematized in their own country. Infidelity was at its apex in 1830s. From the ruling prince to the lowest officer, everybody had at least an affair with a married lady. A high ranking Moldavian officer used to arrange the regimental trumpets on the streets heading to his lover’s house. In case of the husband’s unexpected return, the buglers gave the signal for their commander to left that house in due time. Thus he was never surprised by the cheated husband. There were a lot of causes to ask for a divorce: besides infidelity, gambling, violence, or drunkenness, there were still others - some of them even hilarious - such as cursing, snoring and farting during the night. Both divorce and marriage were more often quite easy to get.

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