Women, Byzantium

With the increasing prominence of Christianity in the fourth century, supported by the conversion of Constantine the Great, options for women evolved throughout the empire while still reflecting both the provisions of Roman law and longstanding customs. Christian values became more widely accepted and, with celibacy and virginity seen as an ideal lifestyle, women increasingly saw a life of chastity as an option. Many girls in the fourth and fifth centuries went into monastic institutions or, more usually, lived celibately at home, while the church instituted an "order" of virgins to support such girls, as it did for widows. Marriage was, however, to remain the norm, and the majority of women in Byzantium were expected to concentrate on family duties as wives and mothers, with St. Basil ruling that marriage was a divine institution intended for the procreation of children and the prevention of fornication, though inferior to celibacy (Cloke 1995). The minimum age for girls at marriage was twelve, for boys fourteen; parental consent was essential and the betrothal could be as binding as the marriage itself. Second marriages were permitted at a decent interval after the death of a spouse, but a third was only allowed under certain circumstances, such as childlessness.