Hello ,As I write this, I am gathering with my family to celebrate my oldest son's wedding. It feels good to take a few quiet moments here now before the festivities begin, to settle, to breathe deep and put aside everyday concerns, to bring my mind and heart into the present moment. That is what I hope for, to be totally present,
enjoying the day moment by moment with gratitude and joy.
Our modern American experience of dating, falling in love and getting married has not been the norm throughout most of history. Marriage contracts have long been arranged for myriad reasons.
Wedding Stress: An Age Old Problem |
Poor women have had little choice throughout history as to who they would marry, though most often it is the wealthy and powerful we hear about. Men who used women and marriage for political gain and plain old profit as
far back as the Old Testament. Even when women did have the freedom and power to marry for love, it was rarely easy.
Today's bride might worry about tripping, or getting cake in the face, but that's nothing compared to the pressure faced by Elizabeth Tudor, who became Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1558.
As the last living Tudor, Elizabeth bore enormous pressure to marry and produce an heir. She practically had all the eligible bachelors in the world at her feet, and had only to choose. But Elizabeth had to please England's allies, the politicians at home, religious factions and her fussy subjects. Elizabeth was young when she ascended the throne and the English looked
forward to a royal family again.
According to Heather Sharnette (M.Phil) on her website http://www.elizabethi.org: In these early weeks of her reign, the court buzzed with suitors eager
for her hand in marriage, and European ambassadors were busy trying to advance the suit of their masters and of their master's relatives. Elizabeth was now the most sought after woman in Europe. She received offers of marriage from the King of Spain, Prince Eric of Sweden - soon to be king, The Archduke Charles (son of the Emperor Ferdinand), the son of John Frederic Duke of Saxony, The Earl of Arran and the Earl of Arundel... to name a few.
Many young royal women over the ages used as currency in political, military or social bargains. Queen Elizabeth I had more freedom and power to choose her only marital destiny, and yet never came to a decision. Though it was, in the end, her decision to remain
single.
Still, the reign of Elizabeth I has been called The Golden Age, an
included Britain's defeat of the Spanish Armada and its rise to global power. Some historians argue, Elizabeth never wanted to marry, and even predicted she might be remembered as The Virgin Queen.
This week, as we mark the 70th Anniversary of the Japanese surrender and the end of WWII...I direct your attention to a program at the National WWII Museum.
It's a live program
about the WWII Nurses featured in my book PURE GRIT. Elizabeth Norman has been one of the primary researchers on this topic and she is the author of We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan. Elizabeth is a a fascinating speaker, she has terrific photos, and she interviewed a number of the nurses in the
early 1980s.
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