Family Structure in Europe 1450 to 1750
The Development of the "European-style" Family
The three hundred years between 1450 and 1750 were years of profound change in Europe. As first the Renaissance and then a period of serious religious upheaval swept across Europe life began to change for the common people. The new wealth that had come from commercial changes and the new ways of thinking that resulted from the religious and scientific shifts brought significant changes to the way the family unit operated.
Late Marriages and Smaller Families
One of the biggest changes in the general family structure was that people began to marry at a later age, notably 27 or 28. Late marriage was used in the time period as a means of birth control to keep the population under control. Marrying late ensured that a couple did not usually have more than three or four children living into adulthood. By keeping the number of family members at a reasonable number the male heads of the family were able to ensure that everyone inherited some of the family’s property. This led to new arrangements between children and parents. Children once they became young adults generally did not achieve economic independence until the death of their father, who was in control of the land. Parents, worried about their future, only turned over their land if they were sure their children would support them. Generally parents used a contract to ensure their children would take care of them.
Economics and Family Changes
This change was made possible because of the commercial changes in Europe. As the economic system in Europe changed to capitalism the role of the family changed as well. Family life had before been given nearly completely to production, of both food and goods needed to get by, and between 1450 and 1750 the time spend producing had lessened with the advent of commerce and a steady expansion of trade. European technology also steadily improved in this atmosphere, which in turn improved production of goods to be traded. This shift in the amount of wealth in Europe also affected the way that family life operated. Aside from now having far more goods than they had before, many men now had leisure time to spend at home. Time that before had been spent working to produce goods.
Increased Family Affection
During these three centuries family affection became increasingly encouraged due mostly to the writers of the Reformation. One reformation writer stated “Keep up your Conjugal Love in a contestant heat and vigor.” This shift placed the family at the center of happiness for the individual, and in accordance the center of a person’s life. The treatment of children also changed from hard physical punishments to using love and affection more often as writers preached familial love.
Although these changes were small, and very general they have led to the smaller more nuclear families that are seen throughout Europe and the United States today. They also led to different ways of thinking about the family and the growth of the importance of family life for the individual.
Sources
Sterns, Peter N. World History in Brief. Pearson Education. 2005. Pgs. 302-322
Kertzer, David. Household History and Sociological Theory. Annual Review of Sociology Vol. 17, 1991. P. 155-179
